Nightmares
by Lost in Day Dreams
Summary: Joseph Gallegher, the new man in town, seemed like the perfect candidate the Douglas's new temporary farmhand. But after a while, Oliver begins to detect something wrong about the charming stranger. Will he be able to figure out why?
1. The Nightmare Continues

**The Douglas Farm**

Oliver Wendell Douglas lay wide awake in his bed in the wee hours of the morning, as he had been doing a lot lately. He looked at the alarm clock next to his bed and sighed. Five o'clock; only half an hour more before he could get up and begin the day.

He turned on his side and smiled when he caught sight of his wife, Lisa. He loved watching her sleep. But his smiled soon faded when he began to realize that she was the reason for his sudden insomnia. Oliver felt a familiar terror grow inside him as he allowed himself recount the nightmare.

It always started out the same. Oliver would be walking out of the house on a normal day when he realized the barn was on fire. "Lisa!" he would call, but he would get no answer. He would realize with terror that Lisa must have been in the barn. He would run to the barn and desperately tried to get in. He would push on the door but it wouldn't open. He would hack away at the side of the barn with an axe but it wouldn't crumble.

"Olivah, help me!" he would hear his wife call from within. "Lisa!" he would yell out of desperation. He would try everything he could think of to get into that barn, but it would always be too late. The barn would crumble, Oliver would pull Lisa out of the rumble, and try to resuscitate her but she wouldn't budge. She would just lay dead in his arms.

Sometimes, Oliver wouldn't be able to pull her out at all and the barn would go up in flames until there was nothing left but ashes. But no matter how it ended, one thing remained certain, Oliver would never save Lisa.

In the end, he would wake up in a cold sweat, too afraid to go to sleep again. He would spend the rest of the night waiting for the dawn to come and watching Lisa sleep serenely. This had been going on every night since the ball, and tonight was no exception.

Oliver sighed once more and continued to watch Lisa. He smiled when he saw her smile in her sleep. He was glad that she was able to sleep so calmly. After her horrible accident, Lisa herself would have nightmares of her experience. She would wake up crying and shivering.

For a week, that went on every night until one day Oliver took her in his arms and told her that the tragedy was in the past. He reassured Lisa that he would always be there to protect her and that he would never let anything happen to her. She was finally able to relax and get some rest.

Now, Oliver was experiencing the same terror Lisa must have felt when she had the nightmares. But he could never tell her that. If she found out that he was having them, it might cause her old fears to return again, and he could never do that to her. He could never put her through that kind of pain.

So, for many nights, Oliver would lay in bed silently, watching Lisa sleep and wishing she could take him in her arms and comfort him just like he did with her. But he knew that could never happen, so he dealt with his fears alone.

Suddenly, Oliver heard the alarm clock ring. He turned it of quickly and turned back to face his wife. Lisa yawned and opened her eyes to find Oliver looking straight into her eyes.

"Good morning, dahling." she said sleepily. "Good morning, sleeping beauty." Oliver replied with a smile. "Have a good sleep?" she asked. Oliver paused and observed her shining eyes and sweet smile. He could never wipe the happiness away from her beautiful face. "I slept fine, honey." Oliver lied. Lisa's smile brightened as she kissed him, softly and sweetly.

"I'll start your breakfast." Lisa said as she got up out of bed and put on her robe. As she turned her back from him, Oliver's smiled faded. He hated lying to her and wanted to tell her about the nightmares desperately, but he knew keeping it from her was for the best. Instead, Oliver decided to get up and start the day.


	2. At Breakfast

**The Douglas Farm**

Lisa was busy just about to serve Oliver's breakfast when he walked into the kitchen. "Oh, hello dahling! Your breakfast is ready!" she said. Oliver smiled and sat down at his usual spot at the table as she revealed four perfectly round hotcakes on a plate.

Oliver's smile turned into a grimace as he looked at the "heartburns on a plate". Lisa noticed the look on his face. "Vhat's the matter? Aren't you hungry?" she asked.

Oliver looked up at her. "Uh, now that you mention it, I'm not that hungry this morning. I think I'll just take some coffee." he said quickly. Lisa shrugged, walked over to the sink, and sent her hotcakes flying out the window. She then proceeded to serve Oliver his coffee. Just as she sat down to join him when Eb came walking in.

"Good morning, mom! Good morning, dad!" he exclaimed.

"Eb, we're not your…" Oliver began, but he was interrupted by Lisa.

"Good morning, Eb. Vhere have you been? You veren't on the couch vhen I got up this morning."

Ever since Eb's room went down in a blaze, Oliver and Lisa allowed him to sleep on the couch until it could be restored. "Oh, I got up early this morning to get a head start on my chores!" he said proudly.

Oliver looked at him suspiciously. "Why?" he inquired.

"Oh, I was getting to that! Mr. Douglas, can I have the rest of the day off?" Eb asked.

"The rest of the day off! Why!" Oliver yelled.

"To go furniture shopping!" Eb explained.

"Furniture shopping!" Oliver retorted.

"Yeah, Mrs. Douglas said that she would give me a check so I could go pick out new furniture for my room!" Eb said.

At that, Lisa looked down and began stirring her coffee vigorously, pretending not to notice Oliver's look of disappointment.

"Lisa, you told him you would give him a check!" Oliver said. Lisa looked up sheepishly and nodded. Oliver threw up his hands in frustration. "Why would you do a thing like that!" he asked.

"Oh dahling! The poor boy needs new furniture for his room!" she said, trying to reason with him.

"I'm sorry Lisa, but I need Eb here with me this afternoon. We have a lot of work to do around the farm." Oliver said stubbornly.

"But Mr. Douglas!" Eb pleaded. "No!" Oliver said, seemingly ending the conversation. Eb looked at Lisa with a beseeching look on his face. Lisa nodded and proceeded to try to change Oliver's mind. She looked at him with a subtle pout on her face.

"But dahling, it's just vone day! And it vould make Eb so happy! It vould make _me_ so happy." Lisa said.

Oliver knew perfectly well that she was trying to use her charm to get him to change his mind, just as she always did. He was about to tell her that there was no way he was going to relent, but then Oliver looked down at Lisa's arms, which were crossed in front of her and resting on the table. Although the bandages that used to cover her arms were long gone, there were still faint scars all across them from her accident. Guilt spread through him again.

"All right." Oliver said with a smile. "If it'll make you happy, Eb can go furniture shopping!"

"Oh thank you, dad!" Eb exclaimed. He ran over to Oliver and hugged him from behind. "Let go of me!" Oliver said sternly. Eb immediately released him and turned his attention to Lisa. "Thanks, mom!" he told her as he bent down and kissed her on the cheek.

"You're velcome, Eb! And your check is on the dresser in our bedroom." she said with a smile. At that, Eb ran to the bedroom, grabbed the check, and was out the front door.

"Watch this!" Oliver told Lisa. "Five, four, three, two, one." As soon as he reached one, Eb came running back in through the back door.

"Mr. Douglas, can I borrow your car?" Eb asked.

Oliver was about to open his mouth to say no, but Lisa gave him one of her looks. Oliver sighed, pulled the keys out of his pocket, and tossed them to Eb. Eb caught them and smiled. "Thanks dad!" he said. He then turned around and walked out the back door.

"And stop calling me dad!" Oliver called after him. Lisa giggled as she got up to freshen his coffee. Oliver sighed and looked up at her as she filled his cup. "There, you happy now?" he asked, still a little frustrated over the whole situation.

Lisa smiled sweetly at him. "Yes dahling, very happy." she told him. Oliver couldn't help but smile back. "I'm glad." he added. Lisa bent down and kissed him.

Once they parted, Oliver looked down at his watch. "Oh, it's getting late. I better get started with today's work." He took one last sip of his coffee and then kissed Lisa goodbye.

"See you later, honey. I'll be back for lunch." he told her. "All right, dahling." she responded. Oliver was about to walk out the door, but then remembered something. He turned back to Lisa.

"Oh, and honey," he began. Lisa looked up from clearing the table. "Yes, dahling?"

"I love you." he said tenderly. Lisa smiled. "I love you too, dahling." she responded. Oliver smiled and walked out the door.

Lisa was glad that something good had come out of her accident. She loved how he insisted on telling her that he loved her when they were about to be apart. It gave her a warm feeling inside. Also, it was quite amusing. If ever he forgot to tell her that he loved her when he left the house, Oliver would double back, no matter how far away from the house he was, and rush in to tell her.

She was beginning to worry about him a little, but she hoped that it was just a phase and that it would pass. In the meantime, she would enjoy it while it lasted. Lisa let these thoughts entertain her as she continued to clear the table.

Hello dere! It's me, the author! I'm sorry for the long delay in between these two chapters! For some reason, I'm having a really hard time coming up with ideas for this particular story. But don't worry, I won't give up! I'm sure inspiration will strike sooner or later! In the meantime, stay tuned! I will update as soon as possible! Bye!


	3. Eb's Brilliant Idea

**The Douglas Farm**

The next morning, Oliver walked out the back door to begin the day's work. But first he had to find Eb.

"Eb!" he called. "Yeah, dad?" Eb asked from behind him, startling him. Oliver turned around.

"Eb, where have you been? We were supposed to start working over an hour ago!" he told him in an agitated tone.

"I was busy rebuilding the barn." Eb explained. Oliver's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Rebuilding the barn? That's not your job! Why in the world were you doing that?" he demanded to know.

"But Mr. Douglas, by the time Alf and Ralph finish rebuilding it, my furniture will have arrived!" he exclaimed.

"But I thought your furniture wasn't coming for another six weeks." Oliver said in a puzzled tone.

"Exactly!" Eb said in a sarcastic tone.

"Well, if that's the case, I better have a talk with those Monroe brothers! Alf! Ralph!" he called.

"Yes, sir?" Alf asked from behind him. Oliver jumped at the sound of their voice and turned around to face them.

"Would everybody stop popping up behind…" Oliver began, but was interrupted by Ralph.

"Is there something you wanted?" she said impatiently. "We still have a lot of work to do in the barn."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Eb tells me that progress is going slow on the barn. Why is that?" Oliver asked with his hands on his hips.

"Well, Mr. Douglas, look how badly your barn is burnt! If we go to fast with our repairing, it's likely that the whole thing will collapse!" Alf exclaimed.

"And after all, we are only two people! Now, if some generous man around here would spring for more workers, we would be able to get the job done faster!" Ralph hinted.

Oliver narrowed his eyes, knowing perfectly well what she was hinting at. "I am _not_ going to hire more people! You two get the job done in the allotted time or you two are fired!" he said stubbornly.

"But Mr. Douglas, we can't finish this job alone! It's too big of a job! All we need is at one more person! Then the job will get done at lot faster!" Alf argued.

As Oliver and the Monroe Brothers continued to argue, Eb was struck with an idea. "Hey, Mr. Douglas! I have an idea!" he said proudly. Oliver stopped in mid-argument and looked at him. "Well, what is it?" he asked impatiently.

"What if I help them?" Eb asked.

"You!" Oliver exclaimed. "But you can't work with the Monroe Brothers! I need you to help me around the barn!"

"But Mr. Douglas, I need my room back! I'm getting tired of sleeping on your sofa! Besides you can just hire someone temporarily to take my place! You can pay them my salary until the barn is finished! Please, dad, please!" Eb pleaded.

Oliver crossed his arms while he thought. It seemed like an all right idea to him. After all, he would still have a farm hand and the barn would get done faster. Oliver uncrossed his arms and sighed. "Oh, all right! But as long as you work hard and get the job done fast!" he said in a warning tone.

Eb smiled. "Don't worry, dad! I'll make you proud!" With that, he ran off toward the barn to begin his work, with Alf and Ralph close behind him. Oliver looked at Eb with bewilderment. He never saw Eb so anxious to do any kind of labor before. But then again, Eb never had anything to gain out of the labor he was asked to do.

Oliver shook his head in exasperation and headed back into the house to tell Lisa the news.

Hello again! Sorry about this chapter! I know it's a little slow! But don't worry! It gets better, I promise! So please stay tuned and don't forget to review!


	4. Eb's Replacement

Hello dere, everyone! I'm sorry this update took so long. School just started and it was hard to find the time to continue it. But don't worry! I'll work extra hard to update it as soon as possible! Goodbye for now, dahlings!

**The Douglas Farm**

"Vhere are you going to find another farm hand?" Lisa asked after being filled in on the event that just took place. Oliver sat down in his usual spot at the kitchen table and put his head in his hands.

"That's the problem. I don't know." Oliver said in a worried tone. Lisa sensed the stress in his voice and walked over to him to kiss him on the forehead.

"Don't vorry, dahling. Maybe Mr. Drucker knows vhere you can find a new farm hand." Lisa suggested.

"Hey! That's a good idea!" Oliver said excitedly. "I'll go into Drucker's right now and see!" He got up from the table and went into the bedroom to get his coat. He came back into the kitchen and kissed Lisa on the cheek.

"I'll be back before lunch, honey. I love you."

"I love you too, dahling. Drive carefully." Lisa replied.

Oliver smiled and walked out of the house. He hopped into his car and in a matter of five minutes, he was driving down the country road that led to Drucker's General Store.

**Drucker's General Store**

Mr. Drucker was busying himself stacking the cans in interesting ways. Meanwhile, while Mr. Drucker had his back turned, Mr. Haney was browsing the store for interesting small items that he could sell to unsuspecting children. He finally found a jar full of small pieces of gumdrops and slipped a few pieces into his pocket.

"Well, see ya later, Sam!" Mr. Haney called quickly. Mr. Drucker looked up at Mr. Haney, who was trying to make a quick escape out the door.

"Just a minute, Haney!" Mr. Drucker called as he ran around from behind the counter. "Turn around." he told Mr. Haney as he reached his side.

With a sheepish look on his face, Mr. Haney turned around slowly to reveal a large protruding lump in his pocket. Mr. Drucker crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"What is that?" he asked.

"What's what?" Mr. Haney asked innocently. He looked around, pretending to be dumb-founded as to what Mr. Drucker was so upset about. His eyes finally landed on the lump in his jacket. He pretended to be shocked.

"Oh that!" he exclaimed. "That's, uh…my pills! Yeah!"

"Pills?" Mr. Drucker asked skeptically. "For what?"

"Uh, well, you see, lately I've been getting these, uh, splitting headaches! Yeah! And the doctor recommended these for the pain." Mr. Haney stammered.

Mr. Drucker reached into his pocket and pulled one out. "Your doctor recommended gumdrops for your headaches?" he asked while giving Mr. Haney a dirty look.

Now, don't look at me like that, Sam! The doctor said I need more sugar in my diet!" Mr. Haney lied.

"Haney! Give me back my candy!" Mr. Drucker said. He then reached into Mr. Haney's pocket and grabbed the candy. Mr. Haney grabbed his hand and began to pull back.

"Haney, let go!" Mr. Drucker yelled. "You let go!" Mr. Haney retorted. At that moment, Oliver walked into to the store and paused at the door when he found the two men carrying on as they were. They realized that another person was in their presence, so they quickly let go of each other, but unfortunately too quickly. The gumdrops went flying everywhere, one even hitting Oliver on the head. Oliver shook his head at the shock of the impact and looked a Mr. Drucker skeptically.

"Uh…good morning, Mr. Douglas. What can I do for you?" Mr. Drucker asked.

"Good morning, Mr. Drucker, Mr. Haney." he greeted the men, still with a confused look on his face. "I came in here to ask if you knew anyone who could possibly be my temporary farm hand."

"Temporary farm hand? What's the matter? Is Eb not doing his share of the work?" Mr. Drucker asked.

"Oh, it's not that. It's just that Alf and Ralph need his help rebuilding the barn, so he suggested that I hire someone temporarily and give them his pay until the barn is finished." Oliver explained.

"Say! I know a great man over in Pixley who would be perfect for you, Mr. Douglas!" Mr. Haney said enthusiastically.

"And who might that be?" Oliver asked suspiciously.

"My cousin, Richard Haney." he responded.

"Just what I need! Another Haney running around my place! No thank you!" Oliver denied.

Mr. Haney was about to protest, but Mr. Drucker cut him off. "Don't you worry, Mr. Douglas. I have the perfect person for you. Do you remember Joseph Gallagher? That fellow I introduced you and your wife to at the ball?"

"Yes! Of course! I forgot about him! He does seem perfect for the job! He expressed a great love for farming. Where can I get in contact with him?" Oliver asked excitedly.

"Well, he's running some errands in Pixley, but I'll be sure to send him out to your place as soon as he returns." Mr. Drucker told him.

"I would greatly appreciate that. Thank you very much, Mr. Drucker." Oliver said. He was about to walk out of the store, but he noticed that Mr. Haney had snuck back over to the candy jar and was refilling his pocket with gumdrops. Oliver pointed to him, which made Mr. Drucker turn around and catch him red-handed.

"Haney! Get your hand out of that jar!" Mr. Drucker yelled as he stormed over to him. Oliver shook his head and laughed, then proceeded out the door and to his car.


	5. The New Hired Hand

**Dixie Darlin:** Thank you for all the kind reviews you have been writing me. You know, besides you, Eva is the only one that truly reviews my work. Kind of sad, really…..anyways! I appreciate your feedback! Hope to see some updates on your stories soon and please keep reading!

**The Douglas Farm**

Oliver returned home to find Lisa sitting on the couch reading a magazine. She looked up when she heard him enter.

"Oh! Hello dere, dahling!" she greeted him. She got up from her seat and kissed him hello.

"Hi, sweetheart." Oliver greeted back.

"Any luck finding help?" Lisa inquired.

"Yes! Do you remember that gentleman you met at the ball? Joseph Gallagher?" Oliver asked.

"Yes, dahling. Vhy?"

"Well, he's been trying to find a job as a farm hand and I thought he seemed perfect for the job. Mr. Drucker is going to send him over a little later." Oliver explained.

"Oh, dahling! I'm so proud of you! You found a replacement the first time you vent looking!" Lisa exclaimed.

Oliver smiled, pleased with himself that he was able to please her so. He stood and contently stared at her happy expression for a few seconds. "Hey, it's getting rather late! Shouldn't you be starting lunch?" he asked after a while.

"Normally I vould, dahling. But I can't vash the dishes from this morning." Lisa explained.

"Why not?" Oliver asked confused.

"Something's vrong vith the vater." Lisa replied.

"The water? What could be wrong with the water?" Oliver asked.

"Come, I show you." Lisa said. She then turned around and headed into the kitchen with Oliver close behind her. She stopped in front of the sink and turned it on. Out from the faucet came a thick, brown liquid that was supposed to be water.

"See?" Lisa told him. Oliver filled up a glass with the gooey water and held it up to the light.

"Hmmm. The pipes must be dirty." Oliver concluded. "I better fix them." He then proceeded to get his tools from the drawer under the sink.

"Can I help?" Lisa asked excitedly.

"Sure honey." Oliver said as he crawled under the sink. "Now, the most important thing to remember is to never turn on the…" he began. But before Oliver could finish his sentence, Lisa turned the knob and dirty water came pouring down all over him. Oliver yelled and Lisa immediately turned off the water.

Oliver crawled out from under the sink and stood up. His face and shirt where covered in the muddy substance. He put his hands on his hips and tapped his foot while staring at Lisa with anger in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, dahling!" Lisa said with a sheepish look on her face.

"Oh, you bet you are, because, see, now you're in trouble!" Oliver said.

"I am?" Lisa asked.

"Yes, because now you're going to have to kiss me." Oliver replied, a smile tugging at his lips.

"I vill not!" Lisa cried indignantly. "You're filthy!"

"Oh yes you are going to kiss me! Come here!" Oliver said playfully as he went towards her. Lisa giggled and began running around the kitchen table to avoid him.

"No! I vill not kiss you!" she said as she continued to run.

"Oh yes you will!" Oliver cried as he ran around in circles trying to catch up with her.

"No!" Lisa cried while giggling. She then made a mad dash for the living room. Oliver ran after her and caught up with her before she could run into the bedroom. He scooped her up and laid her down on the couch. He then climbed on top of her to prevent her from getting away. He began to bend toward her to kiss her.

"No! Get away from me!" Lisa cried playfully. She put her hands on his chest and tried to prevent him from coming any closer, but Oliver took both of her hands in one of his.

"Kiss me! Kiss me!" he cried with a smile on his face. Lisa laughed even harder and turned her head to avoid him. Oliver gently turned her face back to him and gave her a sweet, gentle kiss. Lisa stopped fighting and continued to kiss him lovingly.

Just then, Eb entered through the front door with Joseph Gallagher behind him. Eb cleared his throat. Oliver and Lisa parted and looked over at them. Oliver quickly got off of Lisa and helped her up.

"Eb! Don't you ever knock!" Oliver said angrily.

"Sorry, Mr. Douglas. But this feller said you were expecting him." Eb explained. Joseph stepped forward and extended his hands.

"It's a pleasure to see you again Oliver." he said while shaking Oliver's hand. "You as well, Lisa." he said, nodding towards Lisa respectively.

Oliver smiled apologetically. "Hello Joseph. I'm so sorry for the way you caught us."

"Oh, no need to apologize, Oliver. I'd probably be doing the same thing." Joseph said as he smiled toward Lisa. She returned the smile.

"Mr. Drucker informed me that you were needing a temporary farm hand. I'll be glad to accept the job if it's still available." Joseph said as he turned his attention back to Oliver.

"Fine! You're hired! When can you start?" Oliver asked.

"Anytime you would like." Joseph replied.

"Great! Let me show you around the farm! Lisa, I'll fix the sink when we get back." Oliver told her.

"That's fine, dahling! Have fun!" she said.

Oliver told her he loved her and kissed her goodbye. Then together, he and Joseph headed out the door and began walking around the farm.

Hello dere, everyone! As you can see, I finally found the time to update my story! Sorry, school has just been keeping me so busy! Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter I added! Keep reading and please review!


	6. At the Dinner Table

**The Douglas Farm**

The next day, Joseph began his first official day as the Douglas's new temporary farm hand. So far, Oliver was pleased with Joseph's work. During that first day, Oliver could see that Joseph had a passion for farming just as he did, and he seemed to know a lot about the subject, too.

After a hard day's work, Oliver and Joseph came into the house for dinner, dirty and tired. Lisa looked up upon them entering.

"My goodness, you boys look tired. And you're dirty!" Lisa commented.

"That my dear, is the product of a hard day's work!" Oliver said proudly.

"Vell, vash of all that hard day's vork before dinner. The food vill be ready by the time you boys are done." Lisa commanded.

"Yes, ma'am." Oliver and Joseph said in unison. They then turned around and headed for the bathroom. Lisa continued to prepare dinner. Soon after it was all ready, Oliver and Joseph returned.

"Oh good! Dinner is just ready." Lisa told them. Before Joseph could sit down, Oliver pulled him aside.

"Now, I must warn you, Joseph. My wife is not the best cook in the world. As a matter of fact, she might even be the worst. Please, whatever she serves, just try and humor her." he pleaded.

Joseph smiled and nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, Oliver. My mother wasn't a master chef either. I'm used to rotten cooking."

"That may be so, but you haven't seen rotten cooking such as this. You just wait and see." Oliver said with a smile. Then he and Joseph sat down at the table. Lisa turned around from the stove carrying two plates in her hand. She placed one in front of Oliver and the other in front of Joseph.

"Here you are, gentlemen. Enjoy." she said cheerfully. Oliver was taken aback when he looked down at his plate. Instead of the usual hotcakes sitting on his plate, there was a steak, baked potato, salad, and a piece of apple pie. Joseph looked down at his plate and saw the same thing.

"Everything looks delicious, Lisa." Joseph said politely. He leaned in towards Oliver and whispered, "I would love to see what you consider good cooking."

Oliver looked up from his plate with a bewildered look on his plate. "You don't understand. We've never had anything like this before. Lisa, who cooked this?" Oliver asked.

"I did!" Lisa cried indignantly.

"No, seriously." Oliver said.

"Olivah! Vhy is it so hard to believe that I could make a good meal!"

"Because I've seen you cook before." Oliver said.

"Olivah!" Lisa cried, offended at his harsh words.

"I'm sorry, honey. It's just that you never lifted a finger around the house before we moved here. How did you become such a great chef all of a sudden?" Oliver asked.

"Vell, to be honest vith you, all I had to do vas boil some vater. Dee Dee's dehydrated Texas steak dinner did the rest of the vork." Lisa explained.

"Oh, not that stuff again!" Oliver cried.

"I'm a little confused." Joseph said.

"It's this powder that you add to boiled water and supposedly a whole dinner comes out." Oliver explained.

"Supposedly! You're dinner is right in front of you, isn't it?" Lisa said.

"Oh, come on, Lisa! How could a whole dinner come out of some powder!" Oliver cried.

"Believe vhat you vant, meanvhile your food is getting cold." Lisa commented.

"Won't you join us, Lisa?" Joseph asked.

"Oh, that is very kind of you, Joseph. But I can't. Those are the only clean dishes ve have. Somebody forgot to fix the sink." Lisa said suggestively.

"Oh darn! I forgot all about it when Joseph arrived. I'm sorry, honey." Oliver said with a sheepish grin on his face. Lisa looked at him a playfully disapproving look on her face and walked over to the stove to attend to the coffee.

"Is something wrong with your sink?" Joseph asked.

"Yes, but nothing serious. The pipes just need cleaning." Oliver explained.

"Well, I'll be happy to fix it as soon as I'm finished with dinner." Joseph said.

"Oh, that's not necessary, Joseph. I'll get to it." Oliver said.

"Not necessary!" Lisa exclaimed. "But, dahling, I need the sink to vash the dishes. Othervise, they'll pile up on me." Lisa said.

"Your wife is right, Oliver. It's better if you get it done as soon as possible." Joseph agreed. "I'll have it working in no time at all."

Lisa smiled at him appreciatively. "Thank you, Joseph. That's very kind of you."

"My pleasure, Lisa." he said as their eyes locked. Joseph held her gaze steadily for a second or two. Lisa began to get an awkward feeling, so she broke of the gaze and returned to the coffee.

Oliver noticed that Joseph's eyes lingered on Lisa for a while. He began to get a strange feeling, so he decided to say something.

"So, uh, Joseph, how's the powder food?" he asked.

Joseph looked at him in a daze for a split second. Then he looked down at his meal and smiled. "It's fine, thank you." He picked up his fork for the first time and began to eat steadily.

Something inside of Oliver was telling him that what just happened was odd, but Oliver figured he was just being paranoid. He knew he had gotten into the habit of being overprotective of Lisa ever since her accident. But still, a tiny part of him felt uneasy.

Oliver pushed those feelings aside and continued to enjoy the rare delicious dinner before him. The rest of the dinner went by uneventfully and Joseph fixed the sink afterwards just like he promised.

Uh-oh! What was that whole thing that just went on between Joseph and Lisa? Seems rather strange to me! I think Oliver has a right to be worried, don't you? Hee hee!

Anyways, sorry this update took so long. School has been keeping me pretty busy and I haven't been able to concentrate lately, for some reason. Don't worry, I'll try to update as soon as possible and not have you wait as long this time! Please don't give up on me! Continue to read and review, por favor! Wow, this personal address to the audience is getting longer than the story! Hee hee! Sorry! I'll stop right…... NOW!


	7. The New Nightmare

Hello, my readers! Sorry this update took so long as well. I know I promised you that I would try to have it sooner, but that darn school that I'm forced to go to keeps me so busy! Well, anyway, I hope you don't lose patience with me and I hope you continue to read and review, and above all, enjoy my latest addition! Goodbye for now, dahlings!

**The Douglas Farm**

Oliver stepped out of the bedroom in search for Lisa. "Lisa!" he called. "Lisa!" He got no answer. He searched the kitchen, but froze in his spot when instead of finding his wife, he found the strong scent of smoke.

"No! It can't be!" Oliver exclaimed to himself. He ran out the back door and to his horror, found the barn in a blaze.

"Lisa!" he screamed in terror. He ran to the barn as fast as he could, but it seemed as though he wasn't getting anywhere. After what seemed like hours, Oliver finally arrived at the side of the burning barn.

He prayed that Lisa wasn't in there, but sure enough, when he peeked through a crack in the wall, he saw her lifeless form lying in the middle of the barn.

Oliver ran around to the front of the barn and tried to open the door, but to no avail. He then grabbed a nearby axe and began chopping away at the rotten wood, but the more Oliver chopped, the less progress he seemed to make. However, he was determined to get inside and save Lisa, so he kept chopping away.

He began to make some progress and was close to making a hole big enough for him to get inside, but suddenly, Joseph appeared out of nowhere.

"Joseph!" Oliver said with a sigh of relief. "Please! You have to help me! My wife is trapped inside and the barn's going to collapse at any second! Please help me!" he pleaded.

"Sure I'll help you." he replied rather sarcastically. But instead of helping Oliver, Joseph grabbed the axe from Oliver's hand and threw it into the blazing barn through the small hole Oliver was able to make.

"Joseph! How could you! I thought you were our friend!" Oliver exclaimed. Joseph laughed diabolically and smiled.

"Oh Oliver, you fool! Couldn't even see what was right in front of you!" he said with a laugh.

"I don't understand!" Oliver said. "Why did you do this?"

Joseph didn't say a word. He just smiled, shook his head in pity, and walked away.

Suddenly, something within the barn exploded and sent Oliver flying backwards. He laid on the ground stunned for a second or two, but finally managed to sit up. He watched in sheer horror as the barn collapsed, with his wife still inside.

**The Douglas Farm**

Oliver woke up with a start and to his relief, found himself safely in his bedroom. _What a horrible nightmare, _he thought to himself. He felt around in the dark for Lisa to reassure himself that she was alright, but instead he found an empty space next to him.

_Oh no,_ he thought with alarm. He quickly turned on the light to find that she was indeed, gone. He frantically put on his robe and slippers and ran out of the bedroom to find her.

"Lisa!" he called. "Lisa, answer me!" he said frenziedly. Immediately, Lisa came running out of the kitchen into the living room where Oliver was. Oliver breathed a sigh of relief.

"Dahling, vot's the matter?" she asked in a concerned manner.

"Nothing! What are you doing up so late at night?" Oliver demanded to know.

"I couldn't sleep. I decided to get some varm milk. Are you sure everything is alright? You seem upset." Lisa said as she examined him.

Now that Oliver was assured of her safety, he began to calm down. "Nothing's the matter, honey. I just woke up and you weren't there. You scared me." he admitted.

"I'm sorry, dahling. I didn't mean to. Come here." Lisa told him. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Oliver gladly wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close.

As they stood holding each other for a second, Oliver couldn't help but review the horrible nightmare he just had. Even though he had been having similar nightmares about Lisa's accident, this particular one disturbed Oliver deeply. Why did Joseph appear in it? Why did he sabotage Oliver's attempt to save Lisa? Was their something that his dream was trying to tell him?

Oliver tried to remember all the things Joseph had said to him in the dream. _Couldn't even see what was right in front of you,_ he had said. What did he mean by that?

The sound of Lisa's voice snapped Oliver out of his reverie. "Come, dahling. Let's go to bed." she said as she took his hand in hers. Oliver squeezed it affectionately and gladly followed Lisa into the bedroom. He decided that whatever was bothering him could wait until tomorrow.


	8. The Next Morning

**The Douglas Farm**

Oliver awoke the next morning from a dreamless sleep. After his horrible nightmare last night, he didn't dare close an eye, but after awhile, sleep overpowered him.

_Well, at least I didn't have that dream again,_ he though with relief. He looked over to his wife's side of the bed, but once again, found it empty. He then caught the familiar scent of hotcakes. Although he appalled the wretched things, Oliver was willing to risk it in order to see Lisa.

After he was showered and dressed, Oliver walked into the kitchen and found Lisa standing in front of the oven, tending to her hotcakes. Joseph and Eb were sitting at the table, nervously awaiting their breakfasts.

Lisa looked up when she heard Oliver walk into the kitchen. "Good morning, dahling!" she said pleasantly.

Oliver smiled and walked up to her side. Good morning, sweetheart!" he replied as he gave her a kiss. He then took his regular seat at the table.

"Good morning, Joseph. Good morning, Eb." Oliver said politely.

"Morning, Dad!" Eb said in his usual cheery tone. Oliver rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"I told you not to call me…" Oliver began to say angrily, but Joseph cut him off.

"Oliver, was there something wrong last night? I heard some commotion very late last night." he said in a concerned tone.

Suddenly, Oliver began to feel uneasy. He hadn't remembered the nightmare he had until then. Now he was beginning to recall all the strange events that had occurred in it involving Joseph.

"Oh, uh, nothing was the matter." Oliver said quickly. "I, uh, just had a bad dream and awoke to find Lisa gone. I just went looking for her is all."

"Oh, I see. Must have been some nightmare to make you go searching for your wife." he commented.

"It sure was." Oliver said more to himself. To Oliver's relief, Lisa came over from the stove with three plates balanced in her hands.

"Here you are, gentleman." she said as she placed the plates of hotcakes in front of them.

"Uh, looks delicious, Lisa." Joseph said warily as he eyed his breakfast.

"Lisa, what happened to the Dee Dee's dehydrated meal in a bag?" Oliver asked.

"Oh, I accidentally spilled it in a puddle of vater and it un-dehydrated all over the floor." Lisa explained. "But fortunately, I had ten whole pounds of hotscakes batter left!" she said proudly.

"Yeah, lucky us." Oliver tried to say sarcastically under his breathe, but Lisa heard him.

"Vhat vas that?" she asked in a suspicious tone.

"Oh, nothing. I was just, uh…" Oliver said, trying to think of a good explanation, but Lisa cut him off.

"Never mind. I know vhat you meant!" she said huffily as she turned back to the stove to get them their coffee. She returned with the pot and began to pour into Oliver's cup what was supposed to be coffee, but instead, it came out as a syrupy-looking substance.

"Lisa, what's this?" Oliver asked in a puzzled tone.

"Coffee!" Lisa exclaimed in a shocked tone.

"Lisa, you love me, don't you?" Oliver asked.

"Of course I do, dahling!" she said.

"Then why are you trying to kill me?" he asked.

"Olivah! That vasn't very nice!" Lisa exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, honey. But next time you run out of that dehydrated stuff, just assume we aren't hungry. Now, we have to get to work." Oliver said as he arose from his chair. Joseph and Eb did the same thing.

"Sweetheart, I'll send Eb into Drucker's to go pick you up some more of Dee Dee's before he gets to work." Oliver informed her.

"All right, dahling." Lisa replied sadly. Oliver noticed the hurt expression on her face as she began clearing her uneaten breakfast from the table.

"Eb, here." Oliver said as he handed him the keys. "Go pick up some of that Dee Dee's stuff. And don't take to long. Alf and Ralph still need you to help complete the barn." he reminded him.

"Yes sir." Eb replied. He then ran out the front door and out to the car.

"Joseph, would you mind meeting me in the corn field? I'll be out in a second."

"Sure thing, Oliver." Joseph replied with a smile. He then turned and walked out the back door. Oliver felt a shudder go through him as he was reminded of that horrible nightmare he had. He shook it off quickly and turned his attention to Lisa. He wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Lisa, I'm sorry I said all those nasty things about your cooking. Do you forgive me?" he asked.

"Yes." Lisa said dryly.

"You don't sound like you forgive me." he said sadly.

"Vell, it's just that sometimes you don't depreciate me!" Lisa exclaimed.

"Not true. I always 'depreciate' you." Oliver said.

"No you don't, you don't depreciate my cooking or my cleaning. Sometimes I feel like you take me for granite!" she cried.

"That's not true, sweetheart! I may have taken you for 'granite' once, but after I came so close to losing you, I swore I would never do it again. And I'm sorry if my teasing made you feel like I still do. I'm sorry." Oliver sad apologetically. He then spun her around to face him and kissed her softly on the lips.

After they parted, Oliver asked, "Do you forgive me?"

"Vell," Lisa said, looking up into space and pretending to think. She then smiled and giggled. "Alright, I forgive you!"

Oliver smiled and was about to lean in and kiss her again, but Eb interrupted. Oliver sighed in annoyance.

"Eb, can't you see that we're in the…." Oliver began but Eb interrupted him.

"Sorry, Mr. Douglas, but Mr. Kimball is outside. He wants to see you." Eb informed him.

"Oh great! Just what I needed! Tell him I'll be right there." Oliver instructed. Eb nodded his head and walked out the front door. Oliver sighed once more and turned his attention back to Lisa.

"Well, I guess I'll go talk to Mr. Kimball and then get to work. I'll be back for lunch, honey. I love you." Oliver told Lisa as he gave her one final kiss.

Lisa smiled. "I love you too, dahling."

Oliver smiled and headed out the front door to talk to what had to be, in his opinion, the most exasperating man on the planet.


	9. The Barn

**The Douglas Farm**

Oliver walked outside and found Mr. Kimball standing by his familiar red jeep.

"Hello Mr. Kimball." Oliver greeted him politely. Mr. Kimball turned towards him.

"Oh! Good afternoon, Mr. Douglas!" Mr. Kimball said, smiling his goofy smile upon seeing him.

"Good afternoon?" Oliver questioned. "Mr. Kimball, it's still early in the morning."

"Really?" Mr. Kimball asked with a confused look on his face. He looked at his wristwatch and smiled.

"How do you like that? I put my watch on upside down!" he exclaimed. "And here, I was worried that I would be late for my three o'clock meeting with my boss!"

Oliver rolled his eyes and let out an "Oh brother," under his breath. Suddenly, Mr. Kimball snapped his fingers.

"Now I remember what I came over for!" he exclaimed. "I came to tell you that the extra lumber that Alf and Ralph needed finally arrived, but it was accidentally delivered to Mr. Haney. His phone was out so he asked me to come deliver the message."

"Boy, was that a mistake!" Oliver exclaimed.

"I don't quite follow you. Well, I don't want to follow you, I just mean that I don't understand you. Well, it's not that I don't understand you…" Mr. Kimball began to babble, but Oliver cut him off.

"Mr. Kimball, don't you have somewhere to be?" he asked.

"Well, I do have that meeting with the boss I have to get to. No, wait, that's in the afternoon." he said.

Oliver rolled his eyes. "Goodbye, Mr. Kimball!"

"Oh, goodbye!" Mr. Kimball said with a smile. He then climbed into his jeep and drove away. Oliver put his fingers to his temples and rubbed them, trying to get rid of the familiar headache he always got when Mr. Kimball paid a visit. After it subsided, Oliver walked over where the Monroe Brothers were working. He found them sawing boards outside the front of the barn.

Ralph looked up from her work and smiled when she saw him coming. "Howdy doody, honey."

"Don't call me…" Oliver was about to exclaim, but Ralph cut him off.

"You married, honey?" she asked.

"You know very well I am!" Oliver replied.

"Well, if your wife ever leaves you, I'll be waiting with open arms." she said with a smile and a wink.

"Why in the world would he go for you when he had Mrs. Douglas as a wife?" Alf exclaimed.

"Alf, if Mr. Douglas weren't present, I would bop you one!" Ralph threatened.

"Look, will you two calm down?" Oliver demanded. Immediately, Alf and Ralph quieted down.

"That's better. Now, I came over here to tell you that the extra lumber you needed was accidentally delivered to Mr. Haney's house. I need you two to pick it up. And don't let him stick you with ridiculous delivery charges!" Oliver commanded.

"Yes, sir! Right away, sir!" Alf said while saluting like a soldier.

"Ha ha! Very funny!" Oliver said sarcastically. "Just pick up the lumber before you get back to work."

"Oh, Mr. Douglas! Before you go, we need your opinion on something. We wanted to know if Eb's new furniture would fit in the loft if he used the decorative scheme he wanted." Ralph asked.

"I'm not quite sure, but you should ask my wife. She's better with that kind of stuff then I am. I'll go get her." With that, Oliver turned around and walked toward the house to call his wife.

"Lisa! Lisa!" he called toward the house. Within seconds, Lisa came running out the back door.

"Vhat is it, dahling?" Lisa asked as she arrived at Oliver's side.

"Honey, the Monroe Brothers need your opinion on something in the barn." Oliver explained.

"In the barn?" Lisa asked with an uneasy tone.

"Yeah. Sweetheart, are you okay?" he asked, noticing the look on her face.

"Um, yes, dahling. Uh, let's go to the barn." she said. Oliver smiled and took her hand in his. He then began leading her over to the barn. But as they walked the closer and closer they got to the barn, the more Lisa began pulling back. Oliver began to feel Lisa get slower and slower until she almost came to a complete stop.

"Um, dahling, do you think they could manage vithout me? I, uh, think I left lunch burning on the stove." she said.

Oliver could tell she was lying and was about to ask what was the matter, but noticed that Lisa didn't realize that he was staring at her. She was looking at the barn with an uneasy, almost frightened look on her face. He then understood what was going on.

"Sure, honey. We can manage without you. You just attend to lunch, alright?" Oliver said. Lisa smiled gratefully and quickly headed back into the house.

Oliver could feel his heart fill with sadness as he watched her walk back into the house. He knew that her traumatic experience would prove scarring, but he never realized just how scarring it would be. He wished he could wrap her in his arms and take all the pain away, but he knew all he could do was be there for her. She would have to work through her fears herself.

Oliver turned around and glumly headed back to the barn alone.


	10. The Daydream

**The Douglas Farm**

Oliver arrived back at Alf and Ralph's side. They looked up from studying blueprints upon his arrival.

"My wife is busy cooking lunch." he informed them. "I guess it's up to me to help you out." Then all three of them headed into the barn.

Oliver just realized that he hadn't stepped into the barn since the fire. He stood quiet for a second to observe the burnt wood and debris on the floor. Suddenly, he began to get dizzy. He closed his eyes and put his fingers to his temples. When he opened them again, he jumped in horror.

All of a sudden, the nightmare that had plagued him for weeks was right before him. He could see the flames that ate away at the already rotting boards. He could see bits of wall and ceiling crumble around him. He could feel the intense heat of the fire and hear the crackling of the flames.

He could feel his eyes water and his throat close up as smoke seemed to fill every part of his body. Oliver tried to tell himself to wake up and that this was all in his head, but his mind wasn't getting the message.

Suddenly, a motionless figure appeared on the floor before him. He bent down toward it, knowing immediately that it was Lisa. He was about to reach out and touch her, but he felt a cold grip on his wrist. He looked up and saw Joseph standing before him, grinning evilly.

Oliver crouched in shock for a second. He was about to get up and ask Joseph why he was doing this, but another unfamiliar voice seemed to suck Oliver back to reality.

"Mr. Douglas, are you alright?" Alf asked in a concerned tone.

Oliver shook his head to clear it and looked at him. "Huh? Oh, yes, I'm fine. I was just daydreaming I guess." he said.

Alf and Ralph exchanged questioning glances and continued to blab on about Eb's loft. Oliver tried to concentrate on what they were saying, but wasn't able to clear his head of what just happened.

"Um, would you two mind if we continue this conversation later. All of a sudden, I don't feel very well. As a matter of fact, pick up the lumber from Mr. Haney's, bring it back here, and then you two can have the rest of the day off."

"Uh, sure thing Mr. Douglas." Ralph said a little hesitantly. Alf and Ralph exchanged glances once more and then left to pick up the lumber.

Meanwhile, Oliver headed to the corn fields to tell Joseph the rest of the day off. He didn't feel like dealing with anymore people today. That daydream shook him a great deal.

_But was it just a daydream,_ Oliver asked himself. It felt so real to him, too real to just be a daydream. It was just like he was back in the burning barn.

Oliver shook his head and decided to try not to think about it anymore. All he wanted right now was to eat a nice, quiet lunch with his wife, take a relaxing nap, and pray that no horrible nightmares plague his thoughts or his sleep.


	11. Kidnapped

**The Douglas Farm**

The next day, Oliver woke up exhausted. He was too afraid to go to sleep the night before out of fear that some terrible vision would disturb his dreams. He lay awake all night, staring at the ceiling and reflecting.

When morning came, he pretended to be asleep as Lisa woke, kissed him softly on the cheek, and headed to the kitchen to start breakfast. After he was sure she was gone, Oliver slowly got up, yawned sleepily, and proceeded to groggily shower and dress.

By the time he got to the kitchen, Oliver was sleepier than ever. He took his usual spot at the table and leaned his head on his hand.

"Good morning, dear." he greeted Lisa without enthusiasm.

"Good morning, dahling." Lisa greeted back with a concerned look on her face. "Dahling, are you alright?"

"Hmm?" Oliver replied, his eyelids hanging so heavily, he could hardly keep his eyes open. "Oh yes, honey, I'm fine."

"Are you sure, dahling? You seem sick." she observed as she walked over to him and put her hand on his forehead to check his temperature. Oliver took her hand in his.

"Yes, sweetheart, I'm sure I'm fine. I'm just a little tired, that's all." he said. He kissed her hand as if to reassure her.

Lisa smiled. "Vell, if you're sure then. Do you vant some breakfast? It's not hotscakes." she said sweetly. Oliver smiled.

"No, thank you honey. I'm not too hungry this morning. I think I'll just go straight to work and come home for lunch later. Would you mind sending Eb and Joseph out to work as soon as they've had their breakfast?"

"Of course, dahling." Lisa replied.

"Thank you. Just tell Joseph I'll be out in the tomato field. I'll see you later." Oliver told her.

"Alright, dahling. Be sure not to vork too hard." she warned him as she kissed him goodbye.

"I won't, sweetheart. I love you."

"I love you too, dahling." she replied with a smile. And with that, Oliver was out the door to start another day of work.

**The Douglas Farm**

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. Oliver, Joseph, and Eb returned from work permanently for dinner later that night and the four of them ate all together. After supper, Joseph and Eb went to the bedroom to watch television while Lisa and Oliver sat on the couch and read a book together.

Lisa had her head rested on Oliver's shoulder while he held the book up and turned the pages when the both of them were ready. It was a very calm, peaceful night, but for some reason, Oliver kept getting strange, nervous feelings that he couldn't push aside. He grew so anxious he could hardly sit still. He kept on fidgeting with the pages or moving around in his seat.

Lisa sensed his tension. "Dahling, is something the matter?" she asked as she picked her head up to look at him. Oliver looked at her as if he didn't know what she was talking about.

"No honey. Why do you say that?" he asked.

"Vell, it's just that you seem uneasy. You keep moving around like you do vhen you listen to the prices of your crops on the radio." Lisa pointed out.

Oliver kissed her on the forehead reassuringly. "I'm sorry honey. I didn't mean to. I just have this weird feeling inside me. But don't worry. I'm sure it's nothing. Everything's alright."

As soon as those words left his mouth, every piece of electricity in the Douglas's house went out. It was now pitch black. No one could see the hand in front of their faces.

"Olivah," Lisa nervously called out into the darkness.

"Don't worry, honey. I'm right here. There's nothing to worry about. He probably just blew a fuse." he said soothingly as he slowly got up from the couch. "Now just follow the sound of my voice." he told her.

Slowly, Lisa got up from the couch and felt around in the dark for her husband. She was finally able to find his hand. He pulled her over to him and wrapped his arms around her tightly. As he stood holding her, he could feel his wife breathing heavily and nervously. Lisa held on tightly to Oliver's shirt and tried to hide from the horrible darkness that had overpowered her after her accident.

"Don't worry, Lisa. Everything's going to be alright. There's nothing to fear." he tried to convince her, despite the fact that his own bad feeling was getting stronger.

"I'll just get some candles and flashlights and see if I can fix the power. You just sit here on the couch and wait for me. I won't go far. I promise. Will you be alright if I leave you here?" he asked.

"Yes, dahling." Lisa replied hesitantly. Oliver kissed her on the cheek and sat her down gently on the couch once more. She breathed slowly and tried to convince herself that there was nothing to fear. Meanwhile, Oliver went off in search for sources of light. He was successfully able to make it over to the bedroom.

"Eb! Joseph!" he called out. "Are you two in here?"

"We sure are, Mr. Douglas!" Eb called back.

"Where are you?" Oliver asked.

"We're over by the drawers trying to feel around for matches." Joseph informed him.

"Oh, good! I'll help." Oliver volunteered. Slowly, he felt around the room for familiar pieces of furniture and made his way to the draw. He began searching the spots where he usually kept the matches.

"Eureka!" he cried once he found them. "I found some." he informed them.

"And here are some scented candles that Mrs. Douglas kept." Eb said.

"Good work, Eb! Here, set them on the drawer." he commanded. Eb did as he was told. Oliver struck a match and was able to find the candles in front of him. He began to light four candles, one for each of them.

Meanwhile, Lisa was still seated on the couch alone in the dark. She tried to stay calm and fight the, what she knew were, irrational fears, but every time heard a strange noise, her heart would skip a beat. Finally, she couldn't take it any longer. She got up slowly from the couch and began to make her way toward the bedroom. But before she could reach the bedroom door, she heard the front door open slowly.

"Who's there?" she called uneasily into the darkness. When she heard silence follow, she assumed, and prayed, that the wind had blown the door open.

Lisa continued to make her way to the bedroom again, but she suddenly began to hear footsteps behind her. Just as she was about to make a mad dash for the bedroom, someone grabbed her around the waist from behind. She screamed in horror and was about to again, but a hand flew up to her mouth, muffling all her cries.

"Ah, ah, ah," an evil voice reprimanded. "Wouldn't want to your little husband to find out, do we?" At that, the man began to drag Lisa out the front door and outside to a mystery car. The kidnapper was about to force her into the back of the car, but before he could, Lisa bit his hand fiercely. The man released his hold on her and cried out in pain. She ran for the other side of the house and to the bedroom, crying her husband's name as she ran. But before she could make it, her assailant caught up with her and began dragging her back to the car.

For some reason, Oliver had not heard his wife scream out in terror the first time while he was lighting the candles, but suddenly, he heard his name being called wildly several times.

"That's Lisa! And it sounds like it's coming from outside!" Oliver said. Frantically, the three men grabbed a lighted candle and made their way out the bedroom closet. They got outside just in time to see the kidnapper dragging Lisa around the corner to the front of the house.

"Lisa!" Oliver cried as he raced after her with Eb and Joseph close behind. Oliver ran up to the kidnapper and grabbed him just before he could force Lisa in the car. The assailant once again let go of Lisa to defend himself, but before he could get over the shock, Oliver punched him across the face. The man fell to the ground and moaned in pain. Oliver then ran over to Lisa and took her in his arms.

"Eb, call the police." Oliver commanded, but before Eb could run off to the telephone, two large men emerged from the car. All four of them tried to run into the house for safety, but the two men caught up with them before they could reach the house. One of the men grabbed Eb and Joseph by the collar and threw them down to the ground. The other man took Lisa away from Oliver's grasp and pushed him down violently. By this time, the first assailant recovered from the blow and stood up.

"The next time any of you try to be brave, one of you will get hurt." he warned viciously. "Give her here." he commanded the man who had a hold on Lisa. The large man pushed Lisa roughly toward him. The original assailant caught her in his arms and forced her into the car. Oliver jumped up into a standing position and was about to attack the man again, but the larger man that had just pushed Lisa blocked him while the other blocked Eb and Joseph.

The original assailant glared at him menacingly. "We'll be getting in touch with you soon, Oliver. Very soon." He laughed evilly and started up the car. The two other men ran over to the car and quickly hopped in. The car spun around and sped off down the road.

"Lisa!" Oliver cried after the car. "Lisa," he moaned. Oliver sunk to his knees in despair as the car raced on and disappeared over the hill along with his wife.


	12. De Ja Vu

Hello gentle readers! I am so very sorry this latest addition took so long. Just as I was struck with so many ideas for my story, school decided to keep me busier then ever! But don't worry! I'm sure that, after Halloween, things will start to quiet down a bit and I can start adding more. Until then, I hope you bear with me and keep reading a reviewing! TTFN, ta ta for now!

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**The Douglas Farm**

Oliver was still on his knees in front of his house, staring down the road in a state of shock. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that his wife was gone again, just like that. Out of all the years they had been married, nothing seriously terrible had ever happened to them. Now in a matter of two months, Oliver had managed to lose her not once, but twice. He just couldn't believe it.

_No,_ his head screamed. _You haven't lost her yet. There's still a chance to save her. Go after her!_

Oliver knew his conscience was right. There was still a chance that he could get her back. With that, Oliver arose from his and beginning running down the road after the car. He didn't know where he was going or what he was going to do once he got there, all he knew was that he had to do something.

"Oliver! Oliver, where are you going," he heard Joseph call after him. Oliver didn't bother to answer. He just kept running down the road as fast as he could. Joseph caught up with him quickly and ran along side.

"Oliver, where do you think you are going," Joseph asked once more.

"I have to go rescue her," he replied.

"Oliver, you can't. I won't let you," Joseph said. With that, he grabbed Oliver's arm and brought him to a halt.

"Let go of me! I have to save her," Oliver exclaimed as he tried to wriggle out of Joseph's grasp, but Joseph only tightened his hold.

"Oliver, you can't just go off and rescue Lisa from three dangerous criminals by yourself. It's impossible! They could hurt you. They could hurt her," he exclaimed, but Oliver didn't seem to be listening. He just kept on trying to free himself from Joseph's hold.

"I have to do something! I can't lose her again! Please! Let me go," Oliver exclaimed.

"No, I won't," Joseph replied forcibly.

"I don't understand! I thought you were our friend," Oliver cried, still trying to escape.

"I am your friend," he replied.

"Then why won't you let me go save her," Oliver asked.

"Because you'll get hurt. This is a job for the police, not you," Joseph said, trying to reason with him. "Do you really think that you could just catch up with them, defeat them all and rescue your wife single-handedly?"

"Well….no," Oliver admitted, finally stopping his struggle.

"I didn't think so. Now, let's just go back to the house and call the police. I'm sure all the kidnappers want is money. They'll probably return Lisa safely as soon as they get it. We just have to remain calm. Alright," Joseph asked with a look of concern and compassion on his face.

Oliver nodded his head in agreement. Joseph smiled and led Oliver back to the house to call the police. As they walked back, a million thoughts raced through Oliver's head. Oliver knew Joseph was right about calling the police, but something deep down within him was telling him that something was terribly wrong.

Oliver began getting strange feelings of de ja vu, like he had experienced this before. All of a sudden, it hit him. The nightmare that Oliver had had the night before! This was almost exactly like it! Lisa was in trouble and Oliver was trying to rescue her, but Joseph prevented it. But it couldn't be the way the dream was. The dream was too horrible to be true. Or was it?

Suddenly, Oliver remembered the words he had just spoken earlier. _I don't understand! I thought you were our friend. _Those were the very words he had spoken in his nightmare. How could he explain that? As more thoughts came to Oliver, that dreadful feeling in the pit of him began to intense.

Oliver decided to push all of those feeling aside for now and concentrate on the well-being of Lisa. He and Joseph finally arrived back to the house and climbed the pole to call the authorities. Oliver tried to speak to them, but was too shaken by the whole ordeal to make coherent words. Joseph gently took the phone from him and began explaining the situation. Meanwhile, Oliver sat on the roof and buried his face in his hands. He began to cry for what seemed like the hundredth time in the past two months.

_Oh Lisa, please be alright._


	13. The Police Arrive

**The Douglas Farm**

After what seemed like an eternity to Oliver, the police finally arrived at the Douglas's door. Eb got up from his seat on the couch by Oliver and Joseph to answer it.

"Good evening," a portly looking officer greeted as he stood at the door. He was followed by an equally stout officer with a grim look on his face. Both officers entered the house and stopped right at the landing. Oliver got up to introduce himself.

"Good evening, officers," Oliver said without any enthusiasm. "I'm Oliver Wendell Douglas and these are my hired hands, Eb Dawson and Joseph Gallagher."

"I'm Officer Henning and my partner here, is Officer Williams," the first officer said. The second officer just nodded in agreement. "We're with the State Troopers."

"I'm so thankful that you men were able to come out here," Oliver said. "Would you gentlemen like to sit down?"

"Yes we would, thank you," Officer Henning said politely. Eb and Joseph got up from their seats on the couch and headed out to the barn to give them some privacy. Officer Henning and his partner took their seats on the sofa and pulled out two small notepads from their pockets, obviously ready to take notes. Oliver assumed that they were ready to talk to him, so he sat down in the chair facing them.

"Now Mr. Douglas, let's get down to business. Can you please recount for us the events that took place before, during, and after your wife was kidnapped," Officer Henning asked as he readied his notebook and pencil.

Oliver really didn't want to relive the horrible events that had taken place not too long ago, but he knew that if it would aid in the search for Lisa, he would have to do it. He drew in a slow, shaky breathe and began to tell his story with a great degree of difficulty.

"And then they just dragged her into the car and drove off," Oliver concluded, a single tear running down his cheek. Officer Henning nodded without looking up from his notebook. Oliver quickly wiped the tear away from his eye and waited for the officer to respond.

"I see," he mumbled. He then finished writing his notes, closed his notebook, and looked up at Oliver.

"Mr. Douglas, do you or your wife have any enemies that you can think of? Anyone you can think of who would want to hurt her?"

"Of course not," Oliver exclaimed. "My wife was, or is, a very beloved woman. She is very charming and has many friends! I can't think of a single person who doesn't like her!"

"Calm down, Mr. Douglas. It was just a standard question. We need to know everything if we are going to find your wife. Alright," Officer Henning asked soothingly.

Oliver took a deep breathe and nodded. "I apologize. As you can understand, I'm a little on edge."

"I understand," Officer Henning replied. "Well, I think we have all the information we need for now," he said. He and his partner then stood up and began to head towards the door.

"Now Mr. Douglas, if this is a standard kidnapping, which I believe it is, the kidnappers should be calling soon for a ransom. In that case, all you have to do is give them whatever amount of money they want, and they will probably return your wife safely."

"Probably," Oliver asked uneasily.

"Mr. Douglas, please. Now, there is nothing much we can do until they call, but as soon as they do, call us and we will head over here and advise you what to do."

"Yes, sir," Oliver agreed.

"Good. Oh, and when the kidnappers do call, be sure to remember as much details as you can and write some of them down if possible. Where's your phone," the officer asked.

"Outside, on top of the pole," Oliver replied.

"On top of the pole," the officer asked incredulously.

"Yeah, our incompetent telephone company was never able to hook up our phone in the kitchen," Oliver explained.

"Well, we'll send a man out to make sure it's connected. That way you'll be able to have quicker access to it."

"Thank you so much for everything officer," Oliver said as they stepped out the door.

"You're welcome," Officer Henning replied, taking Oliver's hand and shaking it firmly. Officer Williams bid him the same farewell. Both men then headed out to their car and drove away. Oliver closed the door behind them, walked over to the couch, lay down, and stared into space.

As he lay there and listened to the silence, Oliver never felt more alone in his life. Before, no matter how silent it was, he knew that he could always count on the fact that Lisa was nearby. He could feel her presence, even if she wasn't even in the house. They had always shared a deep connection with one another.

Now, Oliver couldn't even sense her. He had never felt more disconnected with his wife then he did at that moment. It was an extremely lonely feeling. Oliver closed his eyes and tried to feel what Lisa was going through, but he got nothing.

_Lisa, please come back to me,_ Oliver thought. _Please, be okay. Please, be okay._ With those thoughts running through his head, Oliver drifted off into a deep, restless sleep.


	14. A Gloomy Morning

**The Douglas Farm**

After a restless sleep, Oliver woke up the next morning in a deep depression. He rolled out of bed and threw on the first things he grabbed out of his closet, a wrinkled old suit that he had forgotten to send to the cleaners last week. He wasn't in the mood to shower or even shave, so without much enthusiasm he headed over to the kitchen to begin the day.

There he found Eb and Joseph sitting at the table, drinking coffee with glum looks on their faces.

"Morning," Eb said down-heartedly, looking at Oliver with sad eyes. Joseph didn't even bother to look up. He just sat quietly and absent-mindedly stirred his coffee.

"Morning," Oliver replied in an equally gloomy tone. He sat down in a chair, put his elbows on the table and leaned his head on his hands sadly. For a while, everyone sat quiet, not know what to say to one another. Finally, Eb spoke up.

"Mr. Douglas, Joseph and I have already eaten our breakfasts. Would you like me to fix you something?"

"No thanks, Eb. I really don't have much of an appetite," Oliver replied.

"Mr. Douglas, you really should eat some…." Eb began, but Oliver cut him off.

"I said I'm not hungry," he snapped. Eb closed his mouth and looked at his coffee dejectedly. Oliver picked up his head to look at him and realized he had hurt his feelings.

"I'm sorry, Eb," Oliver said in a softened tone. "I didn't mean to snap at you like that. I guess I'm just a little on edge," he explained sadly. Eb smiled at him knowingly.

"It's okay, dad. I understand," he said reassuringly.

Oliver smiled. "Thanks, son," he said. Eb's face brightened upon hearing him call him son, but soon returned to its gloomy state when he realized that there was no one around for him to call mom.

"When did the police say they were going to have the men install the phone," Joseph asked, finally speaking up.

"I don't know," Oliver admitted. "They just said they would send someone out. I hope it's soon though."

"So do I," Joseph replied. "It would feel more reassuring. Like she's closer somehow,"

"I know what you mean," Oliver agreed. Joseph looked at Oliver with pitiful eyes.

"My goodness, if I'm going through all this after only knowing her a few weeks, I can't imagine what you must be going through."

Oliver sighed. "You have no idea," he replied sadly as he looked down at the table. Joseph sat quiet for a few seconds, just staring at him.

"I'm so sorry you have to go through all this," Joseph said apologetically. Oliver looked up with a confused look on his face and stared into Joseph's eyes searchingly. Was it his imagination or what there a trace of guilt reflected in them?

After a few more seconds of searching, Joseph finally broke the gaze and stood up. "I think I'll go for a walk," he mumbled as he headed quickly out the kitchen door. Oliver and Eb sat silent a second, not knowing what to make of what just happened.

"What was that about," Eb asked.

"I'm not quite sure," Oliver replied, not really focusing on his answer. He was too busy staring after Joseph, wondering if the look he just gave him should concern him or not. After a minute or two, he finally snapped out of it and turned his attention back to Eb.

"Eb, could you do me a favor," Oliver asked.

"Anything, Mr. Douglas,"Eb replied.

"Could you run into Drucker's and get a few things for me?"

"Sure, what?"

"There's a list on the refrigerator. Thanks Eb. Here are the keys," Oliver said as he tossed the keys to Eb. Eb caught the keys, grabbed the list, and headed out the front door. Oliver sighed with relief and went into the living room to lie down.

He couldn't care less about the list of groceries Lisa had left on the refrigerator. All he wanted was sit in silence and be alone with his memories of his wife.


	15. The Call

**The Douglas Farm**

After Oliver managed to clear the house, he was finally able to lie down and concentrate on his thoughts, but he didn't stay that way for long. The silence and loneliness began to get to him again. He started to worry that the kidnappers had called earlier and he didn't hear the phone ring. Soon, he got up and began to pace around like a caged tiger, wondering when the phone installers would arrive.

About an hour later, to Oliver's immense relief, the men finally arrived and installed the phone. In a matter of minutes, the phone was installed and the phone installers left Oliver alone to his silence. He took his seat at the table and anxiously stared and the phone.

Before, Oliver had assumed that having the phone right in the kitchen would ease his tension, but to his chagrin it only increased it tenfold. He began to drum his fingers nervously on the table, wondering why it was taking so long for the kidnappers to call.

Ten minutes passed by, then twenty, and by forty minutes, Oliver couldn't take it anymore. He jumped up from his seat and ran over to the phone.

"Ring! For the love of God, ring," Oliver exclaimed at the phone. He knew his was being ridiculous for yelling at the phone, but at that moment he didn't care. All he cared about was that one call that he was waiting for.

Finally, after a few more minutes of phone reprimanding, it finally rang. Oliver anxiously picked it up from the first ring was through and yelled, "Hello," into the receiver.

"Oliver Vendell Douglas," a sinister voice asked, mocking his wife's thick accent.

"Yes," Oliver replied, already feeling the anger rise within him.

"Now you listen, and you listen good. I'm assuming you already know we have your darling wife, but if you ever want to see her alive again, you will do exactly as we say! You got that," the voice demanded to know.

"I understand," Oliver said in a tight voice. His hatred and contempt for these men was overwhelming, but he knew he had to control himself if he ever wanted to get Lisa back.

"Good! Now listen closely. There are bushes on the right side of Drucker's Store. Leave one hundred thousand dollars cash in a paper bag after closing hours. You have until midnight tomorrow or you'll never see you precious wife again….well, not alive at least!" The voice cackled evilly and hung up.

Oliver stood staring at the earpiece in his hand for a second in shock. He saw his knuckles turn white as he squeezed the earpiece with all his might as the anger rose within him.

"Mr. Douglas, what's the matter," he heard a voice from behind his ask. He turned around to find Eb home from his errand and carrying an armful of groceries, a look of concern written all over his face.

Oliver loosened his grip on the phone and slammed it down on the hook so hard he nearly broke it off. He then began to storm out of the kitchen and into the living room. Eb put the groceries down on the kitchen table and followed him.

"Come on, Eb," Oliver said as he put on his hat and coat.

"Where are we going," Eb asked confused.

"Into Pixely," Oliver replied. "We got a few errands to run."


	16. A New Dilemma

**The Douglas Farm**

After a whole day of scraping and scrounging, Oliver miraculously managed to get the ten thousand dollars he needed to save Lisa. He left the money in a paper bag by Drucker's store and went home for another night of no sleep and worry.

The following day, Oliver spent most of his time sitting at the kitchen table staring at the phone. Others tried to encourage him to eat or sleep, but Oliver couldn't do either of those, not until Lisa was safe and back in his arms.

Around noon, the phone finally rang. Oliver jumped up from his seat and answered it as quickly as he could.

"Hello," he exclaimed.

"Hello dere," the voice answered back, once again mocking his wife.

"Did you get the money," Oliver asked anxiously.

"Yes, yes we did. Very good job," the voice replied nonchalantly. A silence followed.

"Well….where's my wife," Oliver demanded to know.

"Well, you see, I would tell you, but a thought just popped into my head," the sinister voice said.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I was looking at your wife and it just occurred to me, this beautiful creature is worth much more than a measly hundred thousand dollars. It would be an insult to her and to you to accept less than what she is worth," the voice explained as if he was talking about a painting he was trying to sell.

"What," Oliver exclaimed.

"So I think another fifty thousand ought to cover it. You can just leave it at the same place, same time."

"But…but…I don't have that kind of…." Oliver began to say, but the kidnapper cut him off.

"Now, now, now Mr. Douglas, it's either your bank account or your wife that dies, it's your choice." And with that, the voice hung up.

Oliver hung up the phone and sunk into a chair at the table, completely stunned. He couldn't believe it. After all he worked for to get the first ransom, now he hasn't to get a second ransom twice as big in the same amount of time.

Granted, he would do anything for the safe return of Lisa, but he knew he would never be able to get that kind of money in time. He had already borrowed from everyone he knew, even his in-laws. Now what was he going to do?

Oliver sat in silence for a few minutes, trying to rack his brain for ideas. Finally, he stumbled upon a realization. The police! They would know what to do!

Suddenly filled with a new hope, Oliver ran over to the phone and quickly called the police. After a few minutes, Oliver was finally transferred to Officer Henning, one of the men that had helped him before. He quickly explained his situation to the officer and asked what he should do. The officer sat in silence for a few moments.

"Well Mr. Douglas, all I can tell you is to try your best to collect the ransom and leave it where they told you too."

"What," Oliver exclaimed. "You mean, that's all I can do! You're not even going to help me!"

"I wish I could, but there is nothing we can really do in these kinds of situations," the officer admitted.

"What do you mean there's nothing you can do! Can't you at least try to find out who the kidnappers are or figure out where they're holding her or anything!"

"I wish we could, but with no clues left behind, it's nearly impossible," Officer Henning said, admitting defeat.

"So all I can do is sit and wait," Oliver asked, not really believing it.

"Yes, I'm sorry," the officer said sincerely.

"So am I," Oliver snapped back.

"Look Mr. Douglas, I understand your…" the officer began, but Oliver cut him off.

"Don't give me that jazz about you understand how I feel, because unless your wife is who-knows-where being held hostage by dangers criminals, I highly doubt you understand!"

"Mr. Douglas, you have to believe me. I really do care…"

"If you really did care, you would be doing all it takes to get her back for me. But you aren't! You know why! Because it doesn't affect you whether I get my wife back or not! All that matters to you is getting your paycheck and going home to your own family."

"Mr. Douglas…"

"Good day, Officer Henning. I will no longer be in need of your services." And with that, Oliver slammed the phone down angrily and stormed off into the living room.

"What happened, Mr. Douglas," Joseph asked, who had walked into the middle of the conversation.

"The police refuse to help. They say there's nothing they can do," Oliver replied angrily as he paced back and forth across the floor.

"What! But there is still plenty they can do!"

"Try telling that to them," Oliver snapped.

"Well, what now," Joseph asked. Oliver stood still for a moment to think. After a few minutes of coming up with nothing, he was about to admit defeat, but suddenly, an idea struck him. A new fire lit in his eyes as he began donning his hat and coat.

"Joseph, call Eb and the both of you join me in the car," Oliver commanded.

"Alright, but why? What are you thinking," Joseph asked, his voice full of doubt.

"Well, the police refuse to do their job, right," Oliver asked.

"Right," Joseph answered warily.

"Well, then we're just going to have to do their jobs for them. Come on, we're going to Drucker's to investigate!" And with that, he and Joseph were out the front door.

Oliver watched Joseph walk to the barn to get Eb from his seat in the car with a new sense of reassurance. Finally, there was a new beacon of hope in this glum situation. He finally realized that if he wanted Lisa back, he would have to find her himself, and that's exactly what he intended to do.


	17. The Investigation

**Drucker's General Store**

While all this was going on at the Douglas Farm, Mr. Drucker was busying himself by solemnly dusting around the store. Some of the regular Hootervillians, including Mr. Haney, Mr. Ziffel, Mr. Kimball, and Mr. Kiley, were sitting around the cooler, sipping sodas and quietly reflecting.

Ever since the news of Lisa's disappearance spread, all of Hooterville seemed to be in a grave mood. It seemed that she had made quite a few friends in their short time living there and all were concerned for her well-being, none more than her closest friends. At the moment, most of them were sitting there in Drucker's store, wondering how a dear friend could just be taken away.

It was at that moment that Oliver, Eb and Joseph walked into the store, determined to find out more about Lisa's kidnappers.

Mr. Drucker looked up from his solemn task when he heard someone come in, his sadness increasing when he realized who it was. "Hi Mr. Douglas," he greeted remorsefully. "Any word on your wife?"

"Yes, her kidnappers called again to ask for more money, an amount I could never raise in time," Oliver said sadly.

"Oh, that's horrible! Is there anything we can do to help you raise money," Mr. Drucker asked, the rest of the men getting up from their sits and joining Oliver's side to show that they were willing to help.

"That's very kind of you gentlemen, but I'm afraid we could work day and night and still not have the amount we need," Oliver replied.

"What about the police? Can't they do something," Mr. Kiley asked.

"I tried them, but they said there was nothing they could do in these cases," Oliver replied angrily. "That's why I came here, to ask for your help. I have decided to take matters into my own hands. I'm going to find Lisa myself," Oliver said triumphantly.

"That great Mr. Douglas," Mr. Drucker cheered. Everyone else cheered as well. An awkward silence followed. Finally, Mr. Ziffel spoke up.

"And just exactly how are you gonna do that," he asked.

Oliver stood silent with a puzzled look on his face. "I don't know," he admitted. Now that his anger had died down, Oliver realized that he had no idea what he was doing.

"Maybe you should start by thinking back and seeing if anything suspicious may have occurred," Mr. Drucker offered.

"That's a good idea," Oliver admitted. And with that, he took a seat by the cooler and began to review in his head any odd occurrences that may have alluded to Lisa's kidnapping.

After about five minutes of silence, Oliver still couldn't come up with a single strange event that may have given him a clue. With an exasperated sigh, Oliver stood up from his seat.

"I'm afraid, gentlemen," Oliver said, addressing the group, "that I'm getting nowhere. I guess I'm not so good at this detective thing, even when it does come to saving my wife," he concluded sadly while looking down at the ground.

"Oh don't worry, Mr. Douglas. I'm sure you'll think of something," Mr. Drucker said, trying to console him.

"Yes, and we'll be on the look out for anyone suspicious looking that may be around," Mr. Haney offered.

"And we'll report any sightings straight to you, Mr. Douglas," Mr. Kimball said.

Oliver looked up and smiled at the group gratefully. "Thank you, gentlemen, I really would appreciate that."

Oliver began to walk out the door followed by Eb and Joseph, but before he left, he turned around once more and looked at them all with a smile.

"You know, its times like these when you find out who your true friends are," he said. And with that, he and his hired hands left the store, leaving his touched but embarrassed friends behind.


	18. A New Lead

**The Douglas Farm**

Oliver woke up the next day to the sun streaming in through the window and birds gently singing in the trees outside. For a brief moment, he forgot his troubles and everything seemed beautiful, but then he looked over to his wife's side of the bed and found it untouched and empty. The sadness and anxiety of the last couple of days came flooding back to him, and he was once again depressed and alone.

Oliver grudgingly got out of bed and looked at himself in the mirror. He had never seen himself look worse in his life. His hair was tousled and unkempt and he had a deep five o'clock shadow because of going days without shaving. There were heavy bags under his eyes from insufficient amount of sleep and he seemed paler than he was before. Although he couldn't care less what he looked like, he knew he had to look decent if he wanted to go out and search for more clues that would lead him to Lisa, so he quickly undressed and headed out to the shower.

As he proceeded to shower and later on shave and dress, Oliver couldn't keep from thinking about his failure at being a detective the previous day. He was so sure that if he set his mind to it, he would be able to gather enough evidence to at least find out where they were keeping Lisa, but to his disappointment, it didn't work out that way.

Oliver knew he didn't have time to dwell on that misfortune, though. He had missed his deadline for dropping off the ransom and expected a phone call from the kidnappers any minute now. He knew they were going to be angry, but have no choice but to extend the deadline.

Last night, Oliver had been terrified that as soon as they found out that the money was not to be found, they would do away with Lisa without a second thought. But then he realized something. If they kidnappers were forced to ask for more money, they must really need it for something, otherwise they would have left with the first ransom. If Oliver figured right, the kidnappers must have underestimated how much money they needed to escape and were forced to ask for more. Therefore, they have no choice but to wait until he delivers the money to them, which gives Oliver more time to investigate.

_But not much,_ he thought to himself. _They're bound to grow impatient and hurt Lisa because of my sluggishness._ No, Oliver would have to work as fast as he could.

Just as soon as he finished dressing, the phone in the kitchen rang. Oliver ran from the bedroom and answered it eagerly.

"Hello," he practically shouted into the telephone.

"Where's our money," the voice on the other end demanded to know angrily.

"I couldn't get it in time. It was too much," Oliver explained.

"Don't give me any of your excuses! Don't you realize your gambling with your wife's life here" the voice exclaimed. Oliver heard the voice draw in a breath as if to calm himself down.

"Look, since I like your wife and I am your friend, I'll give you one more chance to make the deadline. I'll give you until midnight the day after tomorrow. You got that!"

"Yes," Oliver replied, his voice tense and full of anger.

"Good! And remember, this is your last chance. Either the money is here on time or you'll never see your wife again!" Oliver heard a click and then silence.

_Well, at least my hunch was right, _Oliver thought as he held the phone a moment longer. The kidnappers were obviously desperate and were willing to wait long enough to extend the deadline.

Oliver was about to return the phone to the hook when something hit him. _I am your friend,_ the voice had said. Why did that sound familiar to Oliver? He tried to rack his brain to come up with the answer. All of a sudden, it dawned on him.

_Joseph_, Oliver's head screamed. Joseph had said those very words to him the night Lisa was kidnapped. And come to think of it, when the voice found out that Oliver didn't get the money in time, he hadn't expressed concern for the money itself, but about the fact that his wife would be hurt if he did! Now, Oliver was sure that it had been Joseph on the other end of the line. But how was Joseph able to make that call without leaving the farm?

_The line on the pole,_ Oliver thought. When the technicians got here, they didn't bother to connect that line to the phone in the kitchen, they installed a new one. _That means the phone on top of the pole still works and Joseph used it whenever he wanted to call me,_ Oliver thought. _And whenever he was here with me while I was on the phone, he just got some other guy to do the calling for him!_

Oliver was now convinced that he had found out who his wife's kidnappers were, but he needed more to go on before he could confront him about it. He needed to dig deeper. He had to Joseph away from the farm so he could investigate this discovery further, but how?

Suddenly, Oliver got an idea. With sheer excitement, Oliver headed out the back door and called out to Joseph, whom he was sure went out to the fields as soon as he finished the call. Within a few minutes, Joseph was in the kitchen standing by Oliver.

"Yes sir," Joseph asked.

"I just realized that I hadn't picked up the mail from Mr. Drucker's store in days and I'm expected some important letters. Could you please go pick them up for me?"

"Sure thing, Mr. Douglas," Joseph agreed.

"Thank you. Here are the keys to the car. And you needn't hurry. I'm not much in the mood to work today," Oliver said, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Alright, Mr. Douglas, I'll be back soon," Joseph said. And with that, he turned and headed out the front door.

Just as soon as Oliver was sure that Joseph was gone completely, he ran out the back door and called for Eb eagerly. At the sound of Oliver's urgent voice, Eb came running from the barn.

"What is it, dad," Eb asked in a concerned tone.

"Come on, there's no time to waste," Oliver said excitedly as he headed toward his bedroom. He began rummaging through the small closet that had been cleared out for Eb and Joseph to store their belongings while the barn was being repaired. It took some digging, but Oliver finally managed to pull out the two suitcases that Joseph had brought with him when he came to work here.

"What are we doing," Eb asked confused as Oliver opened the suitcase and began to carefully remove its contents.

"I think I've finally got a lead in our case," Oliver said in a rush. "And I'm determined to follow up on it! Come Eb, we've got digging to do!"


	19. The Discovery

**The Douglas Farm**

Oliver and Eb had been sitting on the bed rummaging through Joseph's things for almost twenty minutes now and managed to turn up with nothing. After carefully scanning through the items that neatly lay before him once more, Oliver sighed in resignation.

"Do you want to look through his stuff once more, Mr. Douglas," Eb asked with a concerned look on his face.

Oliver sighed once more. "No, it's no use now. Joseph will be back any moment and discover that we were going through his personal effects. We should put everything away before he gets back."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Douglas," Eb said sadly.

"It's alright, Eb. I was just so sure that…." Oliver's voice trailed off as tears of disappointment and frustration brimmed in his eyes. Instead of finishing his sentence, Oliver just shook his head sadly.

And with that, Oliver and Eb began returning Joseph's things back to his suitcase, being careful to put everything exactly the way they found it. As they did, Oliver was on the verge of tears as he thought of how he failed Lisa. _How will I ever get her back now_, he questioned himself, his fear and anxiety rising by the second.

But just as that thought entered his mind, Oliver noticed something strange about Joseph's suitcase. The plastic that lined the bottom of the inside of it seemed to be loose.

"Hold on just a second, Eb," he said, putting his hand in front of Eb's to prevent him from putting in another item. Once again, Oliver carefully removed what they had repacked from the suitcase and laid them aside.

Once all the items were out of the suitcase, Oliver began to remove the lining. He expected to have to peel it off, but instead it all came off in one single piece, as if it was designed that way.

_Of course_, he exclaimed in his head. _A false bottom!_

Oliver put the lining aside and stared at the contents hidden in the suitcase with excitement. To any other person, it would have looked like just a bunch of scrap papers kept as sort of personal mementos, but he knew it was more, much more.

"What's all this," Eb asked, echoing the question in Oliver' head.

"I don't know," Oliver replied, half-distractedly. He picked up one of the scraps of paper and began to read it, and eventually Eb did the same.

"This doesn't make sense," Oliver said more to himself after reading the paper.

"What doesn't," Eb asked as he looked up from his reading.

"All there is on this paper is a love poem," Oliver said as he furrowed his brows in a confused manner.

"Really? Same here," Eb replied in an equally confused tone.

"As a matter of fact," Oliver said as he picked up more scraps of paper and began to read them, "it looks like that's all there is to these papers." He scooped up more papers and began reading bits of them out loud one by one.

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways, I love thee to the depths and breathes and heights my soul can reach….She walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies, and all that's best of dark and bright, meet in the aspect and her eyes….Ah, when to the heart of man was it ever less than a treason to go with the drift of things, to yield with a grace to reason, and bow and accept the end of a love or a season," Oliver read, finally coming to a stop once he was convinced that there was all that there was to the papers.

"This doesn't make any sense," Oliver repeated.

"I know," Eb agreed. "Why would Joseph be keeping all these love poems?"

"I don't know," Oliver replied as he continued his search. He froze when he stumbled upon something that sent chills up and down his spine. In Joseph's suitcase lay a wallet-sized picture of his wife that he had thought he had lost months ago.

"I thought that you had lost that picture months ago," Eb said, remembering the frantic search they had conducted throughout the house. Oliver had finally concluded that it must have fallen out of his wallet while he was in Pixley.

"I don't know, but if he has this picture, that means whatever he has planned with my wife, he started planning it even before the fire," Oliver said, the anger rising in his voice.

_How dare he do this to us, _his head screamed. _What makes him think he could just single us out like that! _Oliver stuffed the picture into his pocket and arose from the bed.

"Eb, where's your motor scooter," he demanded to know.

"Parked out back. Why," Eb asked.

"Come on," he said as he began to storm off towards the kitchen and out the back door. "We have to get into Drucker's before Joseph leaves. He has some explaining to do, and I'll be damned if I'm going to wait around for him to return to find out!"


	20. Explanation

Hello once again, my gentle readers! I know I have been taking quite some time to finish and update my story, so I have a treat for you...I made this chapter SUPER long! Hee hee! Sorry, it wasn't intentional, but this chapter kinda explains everything you need to know about why Lisa was kidnapped so it's kinda important. Anyway, hope you don't get annoyed by the longness and I hope you keep reading and reviewing! Enjoy!

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****Drucker's General Store**

Mr. Drucker was chatting nonchalantly with Joseph from behind the counter when Oliver and Eb finally arrived at Drucker's Store. Mr. Kimball, Mr. Haney, Mr. Ziffel, Mr. Kiley, and Mr. Trendall were all sitting around the checker's board, engrossed in a game between Mr. Kimball and Mr. Haney. Mr. Drucker and the rest looked at Oliver in surprise when he walked in. Joseph turned around and gave him a confused smile at his direction.

"Oh, Mr. Douglas, what are you doing…" but before Mr. Drucker could finish his question, Oliver stormed over to Joseph, grabbed him by the collar with both hands, and threw him against the wall.

Mr. Drucker and Eb jumped back in shock while the other men jumped up from their seats in surprise. Joseph was stunned by the sudden attack but, Oliver noticed, had a knowing look in his eyes.

"Start explaining and start explaining now," Oliver demanded through clenched teeth.

"About what," Joseph asked, still trying to play dumb.

"You know exactly what," Oliver exclaimed. He released one side of Joseph's collar in order to grab the picture he had stuck in his pocket.

"I'm talking about his," Oliver said as he thrust the picture into Joseph's face.

"Oh that,"

"Yes, oh that. Now start explaining what you were doing with _my _wife's picture!"

"I wasn't doing anything with her picture. I just found it in Pixley one day and thought it was pretty. I threw it in my suitcase and forgot all about it."

"Then would you care to explain why it was surrounded by secret love poems hidden deep within your suitcase," Oliver retorted.

Joseph opened his mouth and tried to make an excuse, but could think of nothing to say. Instead he looked down shamefully at his feet.

"Your in love with her, aren't you," Oliver demanded to know.

"That is not true," Joseph replied unconvincingly.

"Don't try to hide it! I've seen the way you look at her! You're in love with her, aren't you?"

Joseph sighed. "Alright, I admit it. But that's not why she disappeared," he added quickly.

"Then you admit you took her," Oliver said.

"Yes."

"But why," Oliver questioned. Joseph winced at the pain and confusion in his voice.

"Might I sit down, it's a long sorted story," Joseph explained. Oliver sighed stubbornly and nodded in agreement. But instead of loosening his vise like grip on his collar, Oliver led him over to a chair and pushed him down somewhat violently. The other men gathered around, curious to find out what happened to one of their closest friend.

Joseph straightened himself a bit and began to tell his tale. "It all began about a month before I found your wife's picture. My assistant, Paul and I had been dabbling in crime for a while by then and never really got any big money. I wasn't really all that interested in the money (I got sucked into the life outside the law, you see, but that's a totally different story and not relevant), but Paul seemed obsessed with it. He would try to convince me that we had to move up to bigger things besides just robbing banks and stores. He said we had to do something drastic like kidnap someone, someone worth a lot of money but living in a remote location. Finally, one day, I relented. He suggested we go back to his hometown of Pixley and begin searching for the perfect candidate, which is exactly what we did."

"So the search was one. We combed this entire area for weeks but came up with nothing. I was beginning to get impatient and antsy. I was seriously considering telling Paul that I was no longer interested in this life of crime and wanted to make an honest living instead, when I stumbled across your wife's picture in downtown Pixley. I became obsessed with the beauty and elegance she possessed and I decided she was the perfect one. I figured a woman like that must mean a lot to many people."

"We began following your wife around everywhere, trying to learn her habits and her history. And the more we did, the more fascinated I became with her. She was so beautiful and kind and sophisticated. I guess you could say I was falling in love with her already, but I tried to push those thoughts out of my head and concentrate on the mission. Pretty soon, we knew almost everything there is to know about her and we finally decided the time was right to kidnap her. But then the fire happened."

"I was there when it all happened. I marveled at how brave she was as she ran in there to save the animals and Eb but then gasped in horror when she never came back out. I was about to run in and save her myself when you came along. I saw how you carried her limp body in your arms and then drive off toward the hospital. I had never been more scared in my life. I worried and wondered if she was going to be alright. After a couple of days, I couldn't stand it anymore. I went to the hospital after visiting hours and snuck into her room to see how she was doing. I even left flowers."

"Anyway, as you know, she got better and Paul formulated a plan. He said the best way for us to pull of a kidnapping was if one of us became a part of Lisa's life so we wouldn't be suspected. Then we would make off with the money. So, I did. I meet you at the ball and managed to show up just when you needed a hired hand. Everything seemed perfect. Except for the fact that the more time I spent with her, the harder it was to hide my feelings. But we had to go through with the kidnapping, so we hired a couple of men and did it. Paul called you the first couple of times to demand the ransom and we received it, but it's not enough to make our get away. We had to ask for more."

"Now, I'm afraid Paul is getting more and more insane by the day. He keeps on saying how time is running out and we need to leave and no witnesses…." Joseph's voice trailed off. A stunned silence followed. None of the men could believe all of this was planned against one of their own, especially Oliver.

"Where is she now," Oliver asked in a quiet voice, still in shock.

"We're keeping her in an abandoned warehouse just outside of Hooterville. I try to make it as comfortable as possible for her and do my best to protect her from Paul and the other men, but it's getting harder the longer we have to wait around for the money. We have to do something before he totally loses his patience and decides to hurt her," Joseph said, his eyes wide with fear.

Tears sprung into Oliver's eyes as he imagined what Lisa was going through. He pictured her surrounded by strange men, held hostage in an old abandoned warehouse, so close to home.

Once again, anger rose within Oliver and with it came a new determination. "We're going to do something," he cried.

"But what can we do," Mr. Kiley asked.

"We're just a bunch of farmers," Mr. Ziffel threw in.

"That may be so, but we have one very important thing that we didn't have before," Oliver said.

"What," Mr. Drucker asked.

Oliver turned and smiled slyly at Joseph. "An inside man."


	21. The Plan

**Drucker's General Store**

Right after Joseph's confession, the men began to draw up plans to rescue Lisa. They soon realized that they were going to need more men, so they called Floyd Smoot, Charlie Pratt, and Roy Trendall, three more male residents of Hooterville. As soon as these men arrived, the group became engrossed in their planning. After about an hour or so of discussing and debating, the men finally came up with a plan that they could agree on.

"Okay," Oliver said, speaking up so he could be heard of the din of the other men. "Let's go over the plan once again, and this time I'll have each of you recite your part. Ready?"

The other men nodded in agreement.

"Good. Now, what's the first thing that is to be done," Oliver asked.

"Mr. Haney and I drive all of us over to the warehouse in our cars…well, me in my jeep and Mr. Haney in his truck," Mr. Kimball answered.

"And then we all take our positions around the warehouse," Mr. Drucker threw in.

"And what positions would those be," Oliver asked to make sure they all knew their designated places.

"You, Eb, and me by the window on the right side of the warehouse to observe what is happening inside," Joseph responded.

"Me sitting in Mr. Kimball's car with the motor running," Mr. Smoot added.

"And the rest of us hiding behind the bushes just outside the warehouse," Mr. Drucker concluded.

"Good," Oliver said, relieved that they all remembered their positions. "Then what happens?"

"I go into the warehouse, get the guards away from the remaining doors, and distract Paul," Joseph responded.

"And you and I go into the warehouse to set mom free," Eb said.

"And as soon as you and Eb come out with Mrs. Douglas, I drive off and alert the police," Mr. Smoot threw in.

"While I continue to distract Paul until the police arrive," Joseph added.

"Then the police come, arrest the fugitives, your wife returns home safely, and everything goes back to normal," Mr. Drucker concluded happily.

At this, the men let out a small cheer, as if their plan had already been executed and went off without a hitch. Oliver, on the other hand, knew better. In his head, he was already thinking about the things that could go wrong…and the terrible danger he was putting his dearest friends into.

_How can I be so selfish,_ Oliver asked himself. _To ask my friends to risk their own lives just so I can get back someone who I was responsible for?_

Feeling terribly guilty, Oliver walked over to the door of the general store and stared out the window. Mr. Drucker took note of this and decided to approach him. He walked over to Oliver and placed his hand upon his shoulder.

"What's wrong, Mr. Douglas," Mr. Drucker asked, his voice full of concern. Upon hearing this question, the other men ceased their excited chatter to listen to his response.

"I think we should come up with another plan," Oliver said quietly.

"Another plan," Mr. Drucker exclaimed. "But…but, why? I plan is perfectly good!"

"I know, but I think we should come up with another one…one that doesn't involve any of you," Oliver concluded.

Mr. Drucker stayed silent for a while, along with the rest of the men. "I don't understand," he finally managed to say.

"I just realized how many things could go wrong, things that could get you all hurt, maybe even killed! I can't stand the thought of any of you getting hurt because of me. Lisa is _my_ responsibility and her kidnapping is _my_ problem. I can't ask any of you to put your own lives in danger in order to solve _my_ problem. I just can't." At this, Oliver bowed his head and stared at his shoes. A stunned silence followed.

"With all due respect, Mr. Douglas, we aren't doing this for you," Mr. Ziffel finally said.

"What," Oliver asked in shock. "But then, why are you doing this?"

"For your wife," Mr. Haney said simply.

"What," Oliver asked in disbelief.

"We're doing this because we want your wife to come home," Mr. Kiley added.

"Really," Oliver asked.

"Of course, Mr. Douglas," Mr. Drucker exclaimed. "She's our friend, after all."

"We've grown to care about her very much over the years," Mr. Haney said.

"It's hard not to love her," Joseph threw in. Oliver threw him a dirty look at that comment, which made Joseph turn away in shame.

Oliver turned his attention back to the rest of the men and felt tears spring to his eyes. "Gentlemen, I don't know what to say," he said, his voice shaking a little.

"That's a first," Mr. Ziffel said sarcastically. The other men chuckled, easing up the tender awkwardness that was building from the emotional moment. Oliver joined in the laughter.

"I just want to say that I greatly appreciate your kind words and your help, and I'm sure my wife would too," he said. At the mention of Lisa, something tightened in Oliver's chest and fear gripped his heart. He knew that time was running out and that if they ever wanted to see her return safely, they would have to put their plan into action very soon.

"Alright gentlemen, let's get moving," Oliver said. At that, the smiles on the men's faces disappeared and a look of determination replaced them. They quickly grabbed whatever they were going to need and headed for the two separate vehicles. Mr. Kimball, Mr. Smoot, Mr. Pratt, and Mr. Ziffel piled into Mr. Kimball's jeep and the rest of the men hopped into Mr. Haney's truck. As soon as every man was in a car and accounted for, they took off.

Some of the men tried to strike up a conversation to ease the intensity of the situation, but Oliver stayed silent. All he could do was stare at Joseph, who was sitting in the front seat with Mr. Haney, through the window that allowed Oliver to see the back of their heads. Every now and then Joseph would turn around to look in the back of the truck, but once seeing Oliver's look of hatred in his eyes, he would turn around quickly.

Oliver would feel a tiny pang of guilt every time Joseph looked into his eyes, for he could see a deep guilt and sadness hidden in them, but that guilt would quickly dissipate as soon as he recalled Joseph's words.

_It's hard not to love her,_ Oliver thought with anger. _How dare he say such a thing after the story he told!_

Oliver's stomach churned when he thought back to the confession Joseph made. _He was watching her, _the thought sickeningly. _He was following her and studying her and falling in love with her! Heck, he even went into her hospital room and gave her flowers! How could he betray us like that? I thought he was our friend._

Suddenly, a realization hit him. His inklings were right. His dreams were in fact trying to warn him that Joseph was up to no good. He had betrayed his trust and prevented him from rescuing his wife, just like he had so many times in his nightmares. How could he have been so blind? Oliver felt his anger rise. All of a sudden, he felt like crashing through that tiny window and strangling Joseph with his bare hands. Instead he took his anger out on the twig he had been toying with. The twig splintered into a million pieces and fell out of his hand.

Mr. Drucker noticed his anger and scooted over to his side to talk to him privately. He followed Oliver's cold stare to the back of Joseph's head and knew what he was thinking.

"Go easy on him, Mr. Douglas," Mr. Drucker said.

"Why should I," Oliver replied hotly.

"He's trying to make things right," Mr. Drucker replied.

"It doesn't excuse what he did."

"Maybe not, but he was right about one thing. It's hard not to love your wife, you of all people should know that, and he can't help feeling what he feels for her. And it's his love for her that is keeping her from being hurt right now, and his love for her that is also helping get her rescued." With that, Mr. Drucker scooted away to give Oliver his privacy and joined the other men in their conversation.

Oliver weighed Mr. Drucker's words for a while and realized, to his chagrin that he had a point. Maybe he should go easier on Joseph. After all, he was aiding in his wife's rescue. Maybe he should forgive him.

He was contemplating telling Joseph all this, but he had no time to think on it any longer. The truck came to a grinding halt and he turned around. The old, abandoned warehouse loomed in front of him. Oliver took a deep breathe and hopped off the bed of the truck. It was time.


	22. Horrible Living Conditions

**The Warehouse**

Oliver stood by Mr. Haney's truck and studied the warehouse. It was indeed hidden very well, surrounded by nothing but woods for as a far as the eye could see. He hadn't noticed this before, but it seemed that they had driven down a dirt road through the woods until they came to the clearing especially made for the warehouse. It seemed that no one would be able to find their way here unless they intended to go to that warehouse.

But Oliver couldn't imagine why anyone would intend to go there in the first place. The warehouse was old and falling to pieces. The paint was peeling and the windows that lined the high part of the warehouse were cracked and broken. The whole setting seemed cold and uninviting. It broke his heart to think that Lisa was forced to stay here for so many days. Suddenly, all fear that he may have had about him or his friends melted away and all that mattered was getting his wife home to the people who loved her.

Just then, the rest of the men quietly joined Oliver at the back of the truck and looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to confirm their next move.

"Alright," Oliver finally said, "everybody take your places and remember your duties. Go!"

And with that, the men split up and quietly took their positions. Mr. Smoot took his seat in Mr. Kimball's jeep and the rest of the men ducked behind the bushes or hid behind trees. Once satisfied that everyone was safely out of view, Oliver, Eb, and Joseph snuck over to the lowest window on the right side of the warehouse. They crouched to the floor, wiped the dust off the window, and peeked inside. Oliver's heart skipped a beat when he saw what was going on inside.

The warehouse looked worse on the inside than on the outside. The floor and the walls were covered in dust and mold. Rats ran free in and out of various cracks in the walls and the sunlight that streamed through the windows cast an eerie glow inside. A dank, wet smell wafted through the break in the window and into Oliver's nose, making the place even more unpleasant. It also looked bigger on the inside than it did on the outside, probably because it was so empty. The only things that were in that old warehouse were all gathered in the middle of it, along with Lisa.

Oliver's heart had leaped for joy when he first caught sight of Lisa, but that feeling quickly disappeared when he observed the conditions she had been living under. She was sitting alone in the middle of that vast warehouse in an old chair with a dejected look on her face. There was a couch, a tiny cot, and a table with an old vase on it positioned in front of her like a sort of living room setting, but the furniture was old and pathetic-looking.

Oliver wondered why Lisa didn't try to make a break for it. After all, there didn't seem to be anyone in the warehouse to guard her. But Oliver soon realized two very important reasons why not. The first one was because, as Joseph had explained earlier, there were huge guards positioned on the outside every door, and two positioned on either side of a garage door that must have been used to allow trucks in when the warehouse was actually used. This was a discouraging fact for many reasons. Not only did it prevent Lisa from escaping, but it made Oliver realize that he had one man to fend off every guard, but his men were not as strong as them. His men could easily be defeated.

The second reason Lisa did not try to run away was the reason that hurt Oliver the most. Attached to her ankle was some sort of chain that was attached just behind a chair to a rod-like thing that was bolted down to the ground. It provided her with the space she needed to get to the furniture, but nothing else. Oliver couldn't believe they had chained her up like a dog and kept her in such horrible conditions.

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone entering the warehouse. Oliver turned his head to see who he assumed was Paul walk in through the door that was directly in front of Lisa. He sauntered over to Lisa and stood in front of her. Lisa kept her head down, as if trying to avoid his gaze.

"Aw, are you sore at me again? What ever is the matter," he asked in mock sadness. Lisa did not respond.

"I know, it's because of the chain, right? That must be it," he said, making circles around Lisa like a hungry vulture as he talked. Lisa kept her eyes on the ground and still said nothing.

"I do hate to see you tied down like this, but it's your own fault, you know. Trying to run away and all," he said, as if reprimanding a child. "If you can't be a good little girl and stay here until we get our money, you must suffer the consequences."

Not getting an answer from Lisa, he continued. "How many times have you tried to leave us already? Three…four?"

Lisa did not respond. Paul sighed in frustration. "Let's ask our guards, shall we? Guards," he called. Immediately, six burly men came into the warehouse. They gathered around Lisa's living area expectantly.

"Boys, how many times has this lovely lady tried to run away from us," he asked, gesturing toward Lisa.

"About four times, sir," a man that Oliver recognized as one of Lisa's kidnappers answered.

Paul shook his head and sighed. "Four times, how shameful," he said in over-exaggerated disappointment.

Lisa looked up and Oliver could see her fiery Hungarian temper flash in her eyes. "I have no business being here in the first place. Why shouldn't I run avay," she snapped back.

Paul jumped back a little and smiled in amusement. "Well, well, well, someone has quiet the fire buried within her! I like it," he sneered. He put his hand on her cheek and began to stroke it, but Lisa turned her face away. Paul's sneer disappeared and he pulled her up roughly to her feet.

"Look here," Paul said as he put his hands on her arms and shook her. "As long as you're here, you will treat me with respect and do as I say or you'll get it, do you understand!"

Lisa said nothing. Instead, she stared at him with the coldest, angriest stare she could muster. Apparently, Paul's rough treatment and threatening words did nothing to break her temper. This increased his anger ten fold.

"Did you hear me," he demanded to know.

Lisa shook herself away from his grip and took a step or two back. "I heard you," she exclaimed. "But I vill not obey! I'm not your slave and I'm not going to stay here much longer! My husband is ten times smarter than all of you combined! He'll rescue me and all of you vill go to jail! You vait and see!"

At this outburst, Paul raised his left hand and used the back of it to slap Lisa square across her left cheek. The force of the blow caused Lisa to whirl around and fall to the floor. Her arms and legs screamed out in agony from hitting the floor so hard and her left cheek burned with searing pain. She felt tears well up in her eyes but blinked them back, refusing to let them know that Paul had hurt her. She laid herself flat on the ground and stayed silent, waiting for any other hit that might be coming next.

Meanwhile, at the window, Oliver felt the most intense anger he ever felt build up within him as he watched the entire display. He was about to disregard all that they had planned and get up to teach Paul a lesson, but Joseph stopped him from fully rising.

"Don't," he said with a tense voice. "Let me handle this." With that, Joseph rose from his place by Oliver and walked around to the front of the warehouse. Half a minute later, Oliver heard the same door that Paul had entered through burst open and saw Joseph standing at the threshold.

"What is that woman doing on the floor," he demanded to know. His voice boomed through the cavernous warehouse, causing Paul and the guards to jump in surprise.

"Uh, hey boss," Paul called, trying to make his voice sound casual. "We was just….just, uh, cleaning up and uh….she fell, and…" he tried to explain, but Joseph cut him off.

"Silence," he demanded. Paul immediately shut his mouth. Joseph then walked over to Lisa and gently lifted her off the ground. He sat her down in the chair, knelt down beside her, and removed the chain around her ankle.

"Are you alright," he asked, his voice tender and full of concern. Lisa nodded and looked down at the ground, uncomfortable with the affection the person who kidnapped her was showing her. Joseph rose from his knees and turned his attention to Paul and the guards. Oliver watched in amazement as the other men cowered at Joseph's look. Apparently, Joseph had managed to appoint himself leader and earned the other men's fear.

"What have I told you about the treatment of this woman," he asked. "What have I told you a million times!"

"You told us not to hurt her and to treat her with respect," a guard answered in a meek voice. Paul shot him a dirty look.

"And did you listen? No! You go against my orders behind my back! How am I supposed to trust you? How am I supposed to trust that you will take care of the money that Douglas is going to give us?"

The mentioning of Oliver's name was the signal. As soon as the word Douglas escaped Joseph's mouth, Oliver and Eb rose from their positions and began to make their way to the door in the back of the warehouse. As agreed, Joseph continued to rant in order to distract the men.

Once at the back door, Oliver and Eb peeked into the small window on top of door. Oliver could see that Joseph had managed to turn the men around so that their backs were facing the door that Oliver and Eb were to enter in through.

"Well Eb, it's now or never," Oliver whispered to him. Eb nodded in agreement. Oliver took a deep breathe and opened the door as quietly as he could. He used a nearby rock as a stop to keep door open for a quick exit and together, he and Eb crept into the old warehouse.


	23. The Shot Heard 'Round the Warehouse

**The Warehouse**

Oliver could feel fear build up with every step he took. He knew every inch took him closer to rescuing Lisa, but it also took him closer toward being discovered. After what seemed like years to him, he and Eb finally reached Lisa's side. He came around to the front of the chair so she could see him.

At the first sight of him, Lisa's eyes filled with joy and she opened her mouth to say something, but Oliver quickly silenced her. She nodded in understanding and Oliver signaled her to follow him. Lisa quietly rose from her chair and tiptoed after Oliver and Eb toward the open door. They were only a few feet away from freedom when a strong gust of wind overpowered the doorstopper and caused the door to slam shut. Paul and the guards whirled around to find the source of the sound and spotted them.

"Run," Oliver heard Joseph exclaim, but it was too late. Paul and the guards began charging toward them at full force.

Oliver, Eb, and Lisa stood frozen to their spots, stumped as to what to do next. Oliver was sure they were doomed until he heard the front and side door burst open. In came Mr. Drucker, Mr. Kimball, Mr. Haney, Mr. Trendall, and Mr. Kiley, the back up troops. They were carrying shovels, rakes, and other odd weapon devices and charged toward the guards in attack. Soon, each guard was locked in a battle with one of Oliver's men, including Joseph.

Oliver was amazed to see that, despite strength and size difference, his friends were doing quiet well in their fights. They used their unlikely weapons in creative ways to fend off the blows of the strong guards and even got in a few blows of their own. He began to think that they just might win after all. Those hopes quickly faded away when he saw Paul running towards them, a crazed anger flashing in his eyes. Paul was on a direct path towards Lisa, but Oliver cut him off. Soon, Oliver was locked in his own battle with Paul.

"Get Lisa out of here," Oliver yelled to Eb as he tried to fend of Paul's crazy swings. Eb nodded and grabbed Lisa by the hand. They ran to the back door and tried to open it, but because of the slam it took thanks to the wind, it was stuck. Eb then began to lead Lisa to an alternate means of escape.

Eb and Lisa managed to avoid the various fights going on around them and make it halfway to the door on the left side of the warehouse, but suddenly, someone side-swiped Eb and knocked him to the ground. Eb looked up to see that one of the guards had managed to temporarily immobilize Mr. Kiley and had moved on to Eb. The guard attacked Eb and soon they were rolling around the floor in a fight. Lisa was alone.

She looked around at all the fights and felt panic rise within her. She knew that she wasn't going to be able to help any of the men in their battles. She had no choice but to escape and find help.

Meanwhile, the battle between Oliver and Paul was getting intense. Oliver was a strong man and managed to get in some good blows to Paul, but Paul happened to be bigger and stronger than him. Paul delivered a crushing blow to Oliver's chin, knocking him senseless to the ground. He then pulled out a hand gun from a box that Paul and the guards had been storing the weapons and made his way toward Lisa.

Lisa was just about to reach the door when she heard the click of a gun cocking come directly from behind her. She turned around to see Paul standing in the middle of the warehouse with a gun pointing directly at her. She looked around for a quick escape, but realized she had no where to run.

A few ways away, Oliver shook his head as if to clear his mind. The blow to his chin had caused him to black out for a second and he was barely coming to. He looked up and gasped in horror as he saw Paul pointing a gun toward his wife. "Lisa," he exclaimed. She looked toward him with terror filled eyes but stayed frozen to her spot. Paul seemed oblivious to the sound of his voice. He kept his hatred-filled gaze on Lisa.

Oliver rose from the floor and began to run toward Paul. He had to tackle Paul, distract him, throw himself in front of the gun, anything to keep Lisa from getting hurt. But before he could reach them, a strong, vise-like grip wrapped around his wrist. He had no choice but to watch in fear as Paul moved his finger to the trigger.

"Say goodnight, doll face," he said with an evil sneer on his face. Oliver felt his heart stop as Paul squeezed the trigger.

A shot that echoed throughout the warehouse rang out, and then there was silence.


	24. The Rescue

**The Warehouse**

The next chain of events unfolded in slow motion for Oliver, as if he was in some sort of horrible nightmare. He watched Paul pull the trigger and saw his hand fly back from the force of the bullet leaving the gun. He saw Lisa's eyes grow wide in terror and then squeeze shut as she braced herself for the impact.

He then watched in amazement as Joseph seemed to appear out of nowhere and come to the rescue. He pushed Lisa out of the way, getting grazed on the arm by the bullet in the process. Lisa fell sideways to the ground in a daze and Joseph knelt down on his knees about a foot away from her, holding his injured arm.

"No," Paul cried out in defeat. He raised his gun and aimed it at Lisa again, vowing that his next shot wouldn't miss, but suddenly all three doors burst open and about a dozen police men ran in wielding guns.

"Freeze," an officer that had entered through the front door yelled, pointing his gun straight at Paul. "Drop your weapon and put your hands in the air."

Reluctantly, Paul threw his gun down to the ground and lifted his hands in the air. The guards raised their hands as well. The officers immediately seized anyone that they did not recognized as regular Hootervillians and began to lead them away. Oliver took notice of none of this. All he could see was Lisa standing at the opposite side of the warehouse, staring at him.

At first, Oliver was too overcome with joy to move. Finally, he regained control of his limbs and immediately ran toward Lisa. He wrapped his arms around her and spun her around with joy. He then set her down on the ground and gazed into her eyes. Oliver could see tears of joy brimming within them, and he was sure that his eyes held the exact same thing.

"Hello dahling," Lisa said softly, no longer able to contain the tears. They flowed freely down her cheeks.

Oliver gently wiped away one of her tears and smiled. "Hello, my love," he said sweetly.

"Oh Olivah, I missed you so much," Lisa exclaimed as she hugged him tightly. "I vas afraid I was never going to see you again!"

Oliver returned the hug and felt tears beginning to spill over his cheeks. "I missed you so much too," he said in a husky voice. He then gently lifted up Lisa's face and leaned in toward her. They shared a deep, tender kiss.

"I hate to interrupt," Oliver heard a voice from behind him say. He reluctantly pulled away from Lisa and turned around to see an officer standing behind him. "But is this gentleman one of your wife's kidnappers," he asked, gesturing toward Joseph at his side.

Oliver looked into Joseph's pleading eyes and then turned his attention back toward the officer. "No…well, I mean, he was involved, but he was forced into it by that man over there," he said, pointing to Paul, "and he saved my wife's life. I don't think there is any reason to press charges against him."

"Well then, neither do I," the officer said. He turned toward Joseph and smiled. "Congratulations, you're free to go." With that, the officer walked away. Oliver opened his mouth to say something to Joseph, but the officer that was leading Paul away passed by. Oliver and Joseph positioned themselves protectively in front of Lisa, but Paul just raised his voice so he could be heard.

"This isn't over, doll face," he yelled as the officer lead him past them. "I'll get out and come after you and your precious husband, you wait and see!"

As soon as Paul was out the door, Oliver turned his attention back to Joseph. Joseph could see the anger flashing in his eyes and braced himself for what was coming next.

"You," Oliver seethed. "Because of you my wife could have gotten killed!" Joseph winced at these words, but relaxed when he saw the anger melt away from Oliver's eyes and get replaced with a look of gratitude.

"But because of you, she's still with me right now. I owe you everything and I don't know how I could ever thank you enough," Oliver concluded, tears once again brimming in his eyes.

Joseph smiled, feeling tears in his own eyes. "I think you just did," he replied. Then he and Oliver did something that Joseph never would have expected…they embraced each other.

When they parted, Lisa once again had tears of joy streaming down her face. She embraced Joseph and kissed him on the cheek.

"I don't know how I could ever thank you either," she told him.

"Do the same thing to the other cheek and that will be thanks enough," Joseph replied jokingly. Despite himself, Oliver joined Joseph in his laughter. Lisa laughed as well and kissed him on the other cheek. Suddenly, she realized that Joseph's right arm was bandaged up from where the bullet had grazed him.

"Oh, Joseph, I'm so sorry you had to get hurt like that," she said sadly as she gently touched the bandaged. "Does it hurt," she asked.

"No, not really," he admitted. He smiled tenderly at Lisa and she returned the smile. She then joined Oliver by his side and wrapped her arms around him. Oliver gladly returned the favor.

Suddenly, Oliver and Lisa heard a great commotion from behind them. They turned around to see the men who had joined in the rescue come running toward them. The all gathered around Lisa, saying all at once how glad they were to see that she was safe. Lisa giggled at their enthusiasm.

"Thank you for your enthusiasm, gentlemen," she said, raising her voice so she could be heard over their excited talk. "But if you don't mind, I vould like to continue this conversation elsevhere," she said. Oliver saw a shadow of fear pass over her face as she looked around the warehouse again. He knew that he needed to get her out of their and fast.

"How about we all gather at Drucker's store, call the rest of our friends, and have a small welcome home party," Oliver asked quickly. The rest of the men agreed and they all quickly exited the warehouse and piled into the vehicles. Soon they were all on their way home.

On their way back to civilization, everyone began talking excitedly about the party at Drucker's store. Oliver listened but stayed quiet, preferring to concentrate on the feel of Lisa leaning her head against his chest instead. He looked down at her to tell her something, but realized that she was fast asleep.

"Um, gentlemen," he said quietly so as not to disturb her. "I think the party's going to have to wait until tomorrow."

The men looked up from their conversation and realized what he was talking about. They lowered the voices and made plans to throw Lisa a welcome home party the following day.

Before Oliver knew it, Mr. Haney's truck pulled up in front of the Douglas Farm and come to a gentle stop. Eb and Joseph hopped out of the truck, bid Oliver good night, and immediately went to bed, too exhausted even to change their clothes. Oliver gently scooped Lisa up in his arms, told the men he would see them tomorrow, and carried her into the house.

He carried her into the bedroom, delicately laid her down in the bed and covered her with the blanket. Oliver then changed quickly and climbed into bed next to her. He sighed with sheer contentment as he snuggled close to her. Soon, Oliver fell into the most relaxing sleep he had had in weeks. He now knew that the nightmares were finally over.


	25. The Party

**The Douglas Farm**

The next morning, Oliver woke up and stretched lazily. Even though it had only been a few weeks, it had seemed like years to him that he was able to get a good night sleep. He smiled and rolled over on his side to face his wife. He found her sleeping peacefully beside him, a serene smile spread across her face.

Oliver wished he could lean over and kiss her angelic face, but he didn't have the heart to disturb her. If he had gone through all that pain and stress whilst she was kidnapped, he couldn't imagine what she had gone through. Waking her up after such a traumatic experience was out of the question.

Instead, Oliver eased himself out of bed and quietly readied for the day. Once he was showered and dressed, he walked into the kitchen and decided to surprise Lisa with breakfast in bed. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face when he walked in with a tray carrying beautiful flowers, fresh coffee and….

At that moment, Oliver realized something…he had never prepared a meal for himself, much less anyone else. How in the world was he going to make Lisa breakfast in bed?

He shrugged his shoulders and figured it couldn't hurt to try. _After all,_ he thought, _I can't be any worse than Lisa._ He chuckled to himself at the thought. He then tied an apron around his waist and began preparing breakfast.

But after an hour and a half of attempts, Oliver soon realized that he was very wrong about not being any worse than his wife. As a matter of fact, he was a lot worse. He couldn't even get Lisa's hotcakes to look like hotcakes; they just came out as what looked like blobs of burnt ashes. And he couldn't even get his coffee to pour out into a cup. It stayed as a solid, greasy-looking mess inside the pot.

Oliver sighed and threw his apron down on the kitchen table in defeat. _Maybe I have no right to criticize her cooking after all. Who would have guessed it?_ Oliver laughed out loud as he stared at his blobby messes that he would have called breakfast.

"Well," he said out loud. "I guess she'll just have to settle for toast, orange juice, and some fruit." He then tossed his disastrous attempts at cooking in the garbage, stuck a couple of slices of bread in the toaster, and began slicing some melon he had stored in the refrigerator about a week ago.

Soon, Lisa's breakfast tray was filled with a stack of toast, a plate full of sliced melon, a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice, and a vase full of beautiful flowers he had picked outside. Oliver proudly picked up the tray and carefully carried it to the bedroom, silently vowing to keep his horrible culinary skills a secret for now.

He gently pushed the door to the bedroom open and peeked inside. He could see that Lisa was still asleep, so he quietly crept into the bedroom and set the tray down on top of the television. He looked at the alarm clock and realized that it was nearly eleven.

_Poor thing,_ Oliver thought, _she must be exhausted._ He decided that breakfast could wait. He was about to pick up the tray and walk out, but heard Lisa begin to stir. He turned around to see her yawn and stretch like a kitten and then flutter and open her eyes.

"Good morning, dahling," she said sleepily when she spotted him.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Oliver replied with a smile. "Have a nice sleep?"

"The best in veeks," she answered as she stretched once more and sat up in bed.

"I'm glad," Oliver responded sweetly. "I have a surprise for you," he said as he turned around. He gently lifted the tray off the television and turned around to face her. "Breakfast in bed," he said proudly.

Lisa's face lit up when she saw the beautiful tray of food that her husband presented her. He gently set the tray down on Lisa's lap and sat down on the edge of the bed next to her.

"Oh dahling, you shouldn't have," she said as she stared at the first good meal that she had had in days.

"Of course I should have, honey. You deserve only the best," he said. He then leaned over and gave her a tender kiss. Lisa smiled.

"I love you," she said sincerely. Oliver smiled.

"I love you too," he replied. They stared into each others eyes for a few seconds.

"Vell, as long as you prepared this vonderful meal," Lisa said after a while, "you might as vell join me." She broke off a piece of toast, stuck it into his mouth, and then offered him a slice of melon. Oliver gladly took it and together they enjoyed a quiet breakfast.

After they finished their breakfast, everything began to move fast. Lisa got up and got ready for the day while Oliver cleaned up in the kitchen. By the time she joined him in the kitchen, it was lunch time. Oliver and Lisa weren't hungry due to the late breakfast, so Lisa began preparing lunch for Eb and Joseph. It was ready by the time they awoke and joined the Douglas's in the kitchen. Lisa served them and set aside some sandwiches for her and Oliver for when they did get hungry.

After that, Oliver straightened up around the house while Joseph explained that he was planning on leaving right after Lisa's party that day. Oliver and Lisa protested, but he insisted that his mind was made up. They had no choice but to respect his wishes. So Joseph began packing and making arrangements for his departure. Meanwhile, Eb and the Monroe Brothers began moving Eb's new furniture into his new loft in the renovated barn. With the way things were going, it looked like the barn would be fully completed by the end of the day.

After the kitchen was clean, Oliver began making calls in order to secure the plans for Lisa's party. As he was doing that, Lisa was busy answering the door and receiving flower arrangements from her various friends. By the time Oliver was off the phone, the living room was filled with every kind of flower he could imagine.

Lisa looked up from admiring the latest arrangement when he walked in from the kitchen. "Aren't they beautiful, Olivah," she beamed.

"Yes, but where did they come from," Oliver asked, staring at amazement.

"Our friends sent them! Vasn't they nice of them," she asked as she walked around the room and began reading the cards attached to them.

"You see, these are from your mother, and these are from the Ziffels, these are from Mr. Drucker…who are these from," she asked as she picked up an almost dead bouquet of flowers and scrutinized them.

"Mr. Haney," Oliver and Lisa concluded simultaneously. They looked at each other and burst into laughter. Oliver shook his head good naturedly. He knew Mr. Haney cared for his wife or else he wouldn't have risked his life to help rescue her, but nothing on earth could make him part with more money than absolutely necessary.

_Maybe he'll find a wonderful woman that will make him change his ways,_ Oliver mused, _just like I did._ He smiled as he watched Lisa gleefully move on to one flower arrangement after another. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have her.

The rest of the afternoon passed by uneventfully and soon it was time to go to the party. Oliver, Lisa, Eb and Joseph piled into the car and headed off toward Drucker's store.

**Drucker's General Store**

Fifteen minutes later, Oliver and Lisa walked arm in arm into the store. Everyone looked up upon their entrance.

"There's the guest of honor," Mr. Drucker announced. Everyone cheered and greeted Lisa enthusiastically. Lisa smiled warmly and began mingling with the crowd. Oliver stood aside for a second and surveyed the party.

The store was simply decorated with streamers and balloons, and there were some finger sandwiches, various snacks, and punch on a table at the far end of the store. He could see that all their dearest friends were there already and were just as happy to see that Lisa was back as he was. _Well, almost as happy,_ he thought. No matter what, he knew no one could be as happy as he was that his wife was back.

He also took time to marvel at how much of an attitude change each of them had undergone. He realized that Lisa's homecoming must have mellowed out their outrageous personalities. Alf and Ralph weren't bickering anymore and Ralph wasn't chasing Mr. Kimball like a crazy woman. As a matter of fact, Mr. Kimball and her were actually in a conversation together. Oliver also noticed that Mr. Kimball wasn't his usual forgetful self and Mr. Haney hadn't tried to sell them anything all day. He couldn't believe that something as simple as the safe return of his wife could inspire such a wonderful change in them. Oliver knew that this miracle wouldn't last, however, but he figured he might as well enjoy it while he could.

After about an hour of laughing and talking, Oliver heard someone yell out, "Speech!" He guessed they were talking about Lisa, so he scanned the crowd for her. He finally spotted her just as she was being helped up onto a chair so she could be seen. Everyone quieted down and waited for her to say something.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she began, "I just vanted to tell you how happy I am to see you again. Throughout my entire ordeal, it broke my heart every time I thought about not seeing any of you again. But then nine brave men came to my rescue," she said as she looked into each of their eyes. "And I couldn't be more thankful to them. I thank you gentlemen and I love you all very much. I owe you my life," she said. She paused and Oliver could see tears of joy trickling down her face.

After a moments silence, she raised her glass in a toast. "To the heroes of Hootersville," she said.

"Here, here," everyone cried. Everyone took a drink and then applauded. Lisa stepped down from the chair and walked up to each of the men that had come to her rescue to thank them personally. She gave each of them a hug and a kiss on the cheek, to which the gentlemen uttered a thank you and blushed fiercely. Lisa laughed, delighted at their reactions. Finally, she came up to her husband, obviously having save him for last. She led him over to a secluded corner and wrapped her arms around his waist. Oliver returned the gesture.

"Dahling, how could I ever thank you for saving my life," she asked as she planted soft kisses on his neck and cheeks. Oliver smiled.

"Believe me, sweetheart, having you back here with me is thanks enough," he replied, kissing her softly on the forehead.

"Olivah, I love you so much. I owe you my life," she said as she looked deep into his eyes. Oliver saw the love and affection in them that he knew was reflected in his own.

"Lisa, you _are _my life. In a way, saving you was kind of like saving me. Therefore, you owe me nothing. Besides, how could I have gone on without you? You're my wife and my best friend. I love you more than anything."

Lisa smiled and tears once again brimmed in her eyes. "I feel the exact same way," she said. She then leaned in toward Oliver and kissed him tenderly. Oliver gladly returned the kiss and for a moment, the world melted away and there was only the two of them.

"Ahem," Oliver heard someone clear his throat. He reluctantly parted and looked to see Joseph standing beside them with his luggage in his hand.

"Sorry to interrupt, but my train leaves soon and I wanted to say goodbye," he said. Fresh tears now streamed down Lisa's face as she embraced him tightly.

"Oh, goodbye Joseph! It vas a pleasure knowing you," she said. She kissed him on the cheek softly and he bid her the same farewell. She then stepped back and Oliver stepped forward.

"If your ever back in Hooterville, feel free to drop by. You will always be welcome," Oliver said. Joseph smiled graciously and they hugged for the last time. On the verge of tears himself, Joseph waved goodbye to everyone else and quickly hurried out of the store. A sad silence followed.

"I think it's time we go home," Oliver decided. Lisa nodded, tears still streaming down her face. They then bid their friends farewell, found Eb, and headed out the store. Then the three of them got into the car and headed home.


	26. Just Another Day

**The Douglas Farm**

The fifth day following Lisa's homecoming, Oliver awoke to a beautiful, sunny morning. He got up and began to get ready for the day. After showering, he went into the bathroom to dress and shave. Soon he found that his electric shaver was missing. He searched the house and found it in the refrigerator next to a bowl of peaches. He realized that Lisa had used it to try to shave off the peach fuzz again. Two months ago, this would have greatly irritated Oliver, but now he realized he couldn't care less.

He walked back to the bathroom, finished getting ready, and returned to the kitchen to find Lisa up and preparing breakfast. He kissed her good morning and sat down at his usual spot to await his meal. Soon after, Lisa placed a plate full of hotcakes in front of him. Oliver grimaced, insulted her culinary skills as usual, and told her he would just drink his coffee instead. Lisa pouted at the insult and shot back by challenging him to make his own breakfast one day. At this, Oliver laughed, choking on his coffee in the process. _If only she knew, _he thought, thankful that his coughing covered up his laughter.

After his coughing and sputtering subsided, Oliver apologized for his insult, kissed her goodbye, and headed off to tend to the farm. He looked all around for Eb and shook his head when he realized that he had overslept as usual. Oliver woke him up and urged him to start the days work. Eb reluctantly complied, complaining the whole time that he didn't get paid enough to do this job. Oliver ignored him as best as he could and continued on with his chores.

At noon, Eb and Oliver returned to the house for lunch. Lisa served them the hotcakes leftover from that morning. Eb and Oliver exchanged wary glances and choked them down to spare her feelings.

Suddenly, there came a large crash from the bedroom. Oliver let out a "what the…" and then headed toward the bedroom with Eb and Lisa at his heels. He found Alf and Ralph bickering with each other while an overturned tool box lay at their feet. They looked up at Oliver and quickly blamed the other for the loud crash. Then Alf insulted Ralph's homely looks and Ralph threatened to belt him one. At this point, Oliver broke up the fight and demanded that they get back to work. Alf and Ralph exchanged one more anger glare at each other and then complied. Oliver sighed and returned to his farm chores with Eb at his side.

During the day, Mr. Kimball stopped by to say that he had Oliver's soil samples with him. Oliver asked for them and Mr. Kimball pulled out a package addressed to Mr. Kiley. Oliver asked where his package was and Mr. Kimball responded that he didn't know. He figured he must have left it back at his office. He climbed back into his jeep and waved goodbye to Oliver, calling him by the wrong name as he left. Oliver shook his head in disbelief and then continued on with his work.

Later on, Mr. Haney stopped by. Oliver groaned, but Mr. Haney insisted that it was a social visit and he had nothing to sell him. He claimed that it was tea time and that he didn't want to sit through it alone. He asked if he could join Oliver and Lisa in their tea time using their tea set. Oliver responded by saying that they didn't have a tea set. Mr. Haney feigned shock and proceeded to try and sell him an old, chipped tea set that he "happened" to have on his truck. Oliver refused and shooed him away. Mr. Haney left defeated and Oliver once again tried to get back to work.

Six o'clock came around and Oliver decided it was time to quit work and join Lisa for dinner. When he arrived back at the house, however, he found that she wasn't even in the kitchen. He searched for her throughout the house and found her just as she was walking out of the bedroom. He asked her why she hadn't started dinner and she responded by apologizing and saying that it was because they had a guest. He peeked into the bedroom to see Arnold sitting on his side of the bed, watching television. Oliver quickly kicked Arnold off the bed and shooed him out of the bedroom. Lisa told him that he had hurt Arnold's feelings, but Oliver didn't care. He never did see why everyone was so fond of that pig. Lisa sighed and began to prepare dinner.

After dinner, Oliver and Lisa sat quietly together in the living room, Oliver reading a book and Lisa polishing her diamonds. The peace didn't last long, however. Soon, Eb barged in and begged Oliver to borrow his car. Oliver refused at first, but as usual, Lisa used her charm to convince him to let Eb borrow it. Eb yelled, "Thanks dad," hugged him madly, and ran out the front door with the keys. Oliver shook his head and laughed, figuring that at least he wouldn't be around to disturb the peace.

About an hour later, Oliver and Lisa went into the bedroom, changed, and climbed into bed. Lisa fell asleep right away, but Oliver lied awake for awhile, staring at the ceiling and thinking.

All day he had felt a tremendous sense of comfort and security, but he hadn't been able to figure out why. It wasn't until just then that it hit him. Things had finally returned to the way they were before Lisa's kidnapping and the fire. His days were once again filled with bad food, hard work, and irritating friends.

Oliver smiled when he realized the twisted turn of events that had taken place during all the drama. Two months ago, he would have flown off the handle at his wife and friend's irritating habits. Now, he couldn't be happier that they had returned to their old ways, no matter how aggravating those ways may be. It just made him love them all the more.

Oliver looked over at his wife and smiled, thinking back to that morning when he found his electric shaver in the refrigerator and when she placed those awful hotcakes before him. An overwhelming feeling of love flowed through his heart and soul. He scooted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

_Just another day in paradise,_ he thought contently. He then closed his eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep.

THE END

* * *

Well, that's it! The end! The story is finally over! Don't worry, though! You haven't heard the last from me! Far from it, actually. I plan to write plenty of more stories in the near future. In the mean time, I hope you enjoyed this story and it was my pleasure writing it for you! TTFN, ta ta for now! 


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